1977 State President’s Trophy Air Race

From Baragwanath to Virginia – 30 to 31 May 1977

Trophies

Trophy Name Awarded to Race A/c Reg Pilot/Navigator
Aircraft
State President’s Trophy The Competitor gaining most time on Handicap 73 ZS-UDZ J S McKerchar
Taylor Titch
Air Charter Companies Cup The Second Pilot Home 63 ZS-EBI V MacLean/J Haig
Piper PA28-235
Natal Advertiser Trophy The Competitor covering the course in the fastest time 46 ZS-JEV W Bürgener/R L Hay
Aerostar 601
Vickers Armstrong Trophy The Competitor giving the Most Meritorious Performance 79 ZS-BZN H F Heim/J Bezuidenhout
Piper PA 14 Cruiser
Wakefield Trophy The First Woman Pilot 10 ZS-DXG V Hunt-Davis/D Hunt-Davis
Piper PA28-235
Natal Mercury Trophy The First Natal Pilot Home 58 ZS-KOB R Stevens/D Campbell
Piper PA28-235
Hoofstad Pers Trophy The First Transvaal Pilot Home 73 ZS-UDZ J S McKerchar
Taylor Titch
Phoenix Volkswagen Trophy The First O F S Pilot Home 61 ZS-PMG G B Conlyn/N Lederle
Beech V35B
Stellalander Trophy The First Cape Province Pilot Home 15 ZS-PTC E A King/A S Bane
Beech B55E
Comair Trophy The Pilot of the First Cessna Home 4 ZS-IWK W C Angus/A G Purchase
Cessna C182
Piper Trophy The Pilot of the First Piper Home 63 ZS-EBI V Maclean/J Haig
Piper PA28-235
Beechcraft Trophy The Pilot of the First Beechcraft Home 61 ZS-PMG G B Conlyn/N Lederle
Beech V35B
Carletonville Trophy The Pilot of the First Baron Home 78 ZS-MAA W Barnard/A du Plessis
Beech C55
Preller/Germishuys Trophy Handicapping Committee Award 70 ZS-JZP H Dames/J A Earl
Piper PA28-R200T
D P Kelly Trophy First Delmas Pilot Home 30 ZS-CMU J Cilliers/A Grobbelaar
Cessna C182
Durban Wings Club Trophy The First Durban Wings Club Pilot Home 24 ZS-MBO D G Carlisle/A Williams
Cessna C206
Lanseria Trophy The First Lanseria based Pilot Home 29 ZS-FHA A J Hodgson/C W Hodgson
Piper PA28-235
99 Trophy The First “99” Pilot Home 10 ZS-DXG V Hunt-Davis/D Hunt-Davis
Piper PA28-235

Dave Perelson – Owner – Dry Cleaner and Laundry

Dave is an ATP, and Grade I instructor with approximately 6 000 hours. He has been a committee member of the Algoa Flying Club since 1974 (with a few breaks of a year or so) and the CFI since approximately 1984.

Dave participated extensively in competitive flying between 1970 and 1994 and represented South Africa in 1986 and 1988 in Rally Flying. He has also achieved a 2nd position in the President’s Trophy Air Race. Dave is a recipient of the Aero Club Gold Wings and is a FAI Jury member.

Dave is well known for the Rally and Precision scoring program he developed. This program is the only scoring program used in South Africa and many other parts of the world.

Committee member – 2000 to 2003

Aero Club of South Africa – Gold Wings

Ann White

For services to General Aviation especially the Natal region of the Aero Club of South Africa.

In 1969, Aero Club experimented on diversifying and regional committees were formed. Anne   White acted as secretary to the Natal Region from 1969 to 1975 when the idea was stopped. The Natal region was the most successful as they not only had representation from the flying clubs, but also parachuting, model aircraft, EAA etc. The Committee held quarterly meetings at different venues and when away from Durban the power flying side also did instruction and flight tests where there were no Grade 2 instructors. Ann also arranged fly/drive away’s for the meetings where the family and club members could also participate – one at St. Lucia for the opening of their airstrip where the participants did flipping for the local community. Another was at Midmar Dam where a parachute drop and a display by model aircraft were arranged, so that the public were once again involved.

Ann learnt to fly at Virginia airport in 1964 with her husband. Both served on the Flying and Executive committees of the Durban Wings Club for  many years. Ann also went on to do a CPL and Instructors and Instrument Ratings. Ann was a member of the Aero club power flying committee for two years in 1972/3 and served on the Executive Committee of Aero Club in 1973.

Ann participated in the annual flying competitions while she was a private pilot as, in those days they were only open to private pilots. She won a number of trophies in the Women’s Aviation Association competitions and was also awarded the de Havilland trophy. The WAA trophies are in the archives of Aero Club as they were disbanded.

In 1968 Ann was volunteered to assist the handicapping committee at the finish of the Air Race in Durban. The next year the start was in Durban and Ann once again came along to help. In those days, calculations of times were done on a graph, times were by pigeon clocks and not very accurate. Ann started completing the calculation chart of the air race from 1971 and this was when there was more interest in the race as positions were given for all aircraft not just the first few. Ann still has copies of all the charts from 1971. Ann also attended some of the handicapping deliberations to give advice from the figures she had. In 1978 she was appointed as a handicapper of the race, a position she has held since then.

Ann was awarded the Amelia Earhart Memorial Scholarship in 1971 by the Internationall Organisation of Women Pilots – the Ninety-nines. This enabled her to get an open rating on singles and a conversion to Cessna 310/320 series. Ann was awarded the Paul Tissandier Diploma in 1984