WITS Flying Club

WITS Flying Club

The history of WITS Flying Club dates back to the late 1960s as a sports club at WITS University. WITS Flying Club initially operated through Avex Air with WITS students getting discounts on aircraft hire and instruction rates.

Over the years since inception in the late 1960s WITS Flying Club has trained numerous airline, commercial pilots and instructors. Many current airline captains were trained at WITS Flying Club.

WITS Flying Club is a flying club directly affiliated with the University of the Witwatersrand (or WITS University). Although they are a flying club, they do also provide pilot training to members.

During the course of 1975, Dennis Spence the then Chairman of the Club was instrumental in the registration of the “WITS University Flying Association”. This is a section 21 company incorporated not for gain. On Monday, March 7, 1975 the First "WITS Plane" was purchased and the Club operated independently of Avex Air at Rand Airport.

As a result of the success of the140, the following year a Piper Arrow 180 (ZS FDP) was purchased. After a night forced landing during 1977, ZS-FDP was severely damaged. The Club subsequently purchased a Piper Arrow 200 with registration ZS-RTB.

During 1979 both the Arrow and Cherokee 140 were sold and two new Piper Tomahawk aircrafts (ZS-KHV and ZS-KHY) were purchased and operated until 1986 together with ZS-FWP and other aircraft leased to the Club.

During 1986 when both Piper Tomahawk aircraft were sold and replaced with a Piper Cherokee 140 ZS-JVB. Piper Tomahawk ZS-KHV was leased back and operated on the WITS fleet until it was eventually sold in 1994.

ZS-JVB was sold during 1991. Since that date the Club has operated with leased aircrafts only.

Over the years, the club operated from Rand Airport, Grand Central and Lanseria Airports.

It was finally based and operated from Lanseria Airport from 1985.

This Alumni Association has been established for all the former students of the WITS Flying Club - Please post detail about yourself, planes trained on, years of training, stories, memorabilia, photo’s, absolutely everything you may have or remember – And just have utmost fun here !!

http://www.thepilotportal.com/johannesburg-flight-schools/wits-flying-club.html

Wits Flying Club | Johannesburg Flight Schools | Gauteng Flight Schools Wits Flying Club is a flying club directly affiliated with the University of the Witwatersrand (or Wits University). Although they are a flying club, they do also provide pilot training to members.

Official WITS Flying Club website - http://www.witsflyingclub.co.za/aboutus/index.asp

About Us - Index We would like to give you an overview of our club, our people and what we do so that you can make an informed choice about joining the Wits Flying Club. Our Club History - To find out more about our flying club in days gone by, click here! Contacts - Would you like to pay us a visit? On ...

http://www.witsflyingclub.co.za/photoalbum/displaythumbs.asp?cat=42&catname=LKC

WITS Photo Album The easiest way to view the pictures is to click on the first thumbnail below, then just click on NEXT to scroll through all the pictures in the album... Enjoy!