High flying in Port St. Johns

High flying in Port St. Johns

Now it was all about us, the SA Armies newly adopted troops, two sardine correspondents…

The Colonel beckoned from the grassy knoll and we ran towards Spot X. “Faster”, he bellowed. We ran faster to be treated with a huge round of laughter from the onlooking officers. The Colonel was shouting at his troops, not us!
The air moving by me was cyclone strength. My hat and glasses were swiftly removed and distributed down the glade as the Colonel looked on disapprovingly. The Major ran down and retrieved my stuff, sternly telling me again to put my hat in my pocket.We ducked down and bailed into the cabin. The chopper was a R20 000 000 model – one of two the SA Army had for this round of exercises.

Neat and perfectly laid out was all I could think sitting there strapped in and marvelling at the wonders of technology and man’s ingenuity. The revs revved and the huge whirlybird listed and sprang off the mountain and the soldiers became toy soldiers in a few seconds of G’s.

We were off, up and over the mountains that created the valley and through the back streets of Port St. Johns, where the military exercises were taking place (Our boys are off to fight Element 23 Rebels in the Congo, hence the semi-urban training environment).

Then down the 2nd Beach river valley over the world’s most dangerous beach and out to sea for some seriously upside down sideways maneuvering while I frantically spotted for sardines or fish above or below me. I have never imagined doing anything like this as the chopper spun over and around almost cracking my neck with one violent turn after the other – the super pilot just throwing us around and around until that 5 seconds was up and we levelled out just above the sea and checked for shells on the beach we were so low. Heading south to 3rd Beach where the waves were absolutely firing, over Bird Rock and back North to the Port St. Johns river mouth. The Umzimvubu was pouring it’s plume of brown/orange storm waters from the inland storms held this week, but the super blue water of the Mozambican current was holding it back creating a range of colours and contrasts.

Flying low, way below the escarpment above, we cruised up river past the town and finally to the landing strip, back over the mountain and down to the troops waiting below. We were part of a medi-vac exercise as we landed the troops were about to load a pseudo injured soldier and take-off again. Faster! Faster! Came the encouragement from the Colonel…
The Sardine Newspaper would like to thank the SA Army for inviting us along and treating us to this magnificent experience.

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