South Africa-based Denel Aviation is on the flight path to growth with its ability to take its mobile flight testing facility direct to customers.

Denel Aviation is spreading its wings across Africa by going on the road with its services and highly-skilled pilots and engineers.

In a bid to grow its business as well as cut costs, the aviation company will use its mobile telemetry support vehicle to support flight tests at remote locations.

Mike Kgobe, Denel’s Chief Executive Officer, said: “We are taking our highly-skilled pilots and engineers as well as our state-of-the-art technology to the client, cutting the costs and efforts to fly the planes out to South Africa for testing.”

The company is also expanding its maintenance and repair services to the rapidly growing number of military and civilian aircraft criss-crossing the continent.

“We are playing an increasingly important role to support defence forces and the commercial aviation industry in Africa through flight testing and top quality maintenance of their fleets,” said Kgobe.

Experimental flight testing is one of the specialised services provided by Denel Aviation. The test pilots and flight test engineers have the responsibility to ensure that every aircraft that leaves the company’s facilities following maintenance or repair work is in top shape and ready for full flying duties.

The Flight Test Centre at Denel Aviation offers a highly specialised and sought-after service to the aviation market both locally and abroad. Combining state-of-the-art facilities and telemetry with world-class flight test personnel has contributed to the centre’s growing reputation in the global aerospace community.

Derick Matthee, the Manager of the Flight Test Centre, said:  “This is highly specialised flying. Only the best and most experienced pilots are entrusted with these unique, and often dangerous, responsibilities.

Test Pilot applicants need a minimum of 750 hours of pilot-in-command time and be medically qualified to perform flight duties, while the engineers need a bachelor’s degree in math, science or engineering plus medically qualified to perform flight duties.

The list of work successfully done for international clients is growing by the day. On the fixed wing side Denel recently completed engine development testing for the Hawk-120 Lead-in Fighter Trainer acquired by the SAAF, did air-to-air refuelling testing between a Mirage III and an IL78 Tanker and supported the establishment of the Gripen Flight Test Centre at Air Force Base Overberg.

The recent delivery of 12 Cheetah fighter jets to the Ecuadorian Air Force (FAE) was preceded by extensive flight testing and the training of the FAE pilots by Denel Aviation.

New partnerships and contracts for maintenance, repair and overhaul work to be performed by Denel require flying proficiency on new makes and models of aircraft.

In addition to the development work performed on South Africa’s own Rooivalk and Oryx fleets the rotary wing has done qualification testing on the Agusta A109 LUH and maintenance test flying on the Russian made Mil Mi-24 and Kamov-32 as well as helicopters in the Puma and Alouette ranges.

Kgobe  said: “The unrivalled qualities and experience of the company’s test personnel are matched by the facilities and world-class equipment offered by Denel Aviation.  Real-time data processing, formatting and display are performed by dedicated work stations through an open network data system.”

Source : abdas.org