Latest news with #RobinsonR44RavenII
The Citizen
11-05-2025
- General
- The Citizen
Breaking records and soaring to new heights
Celebrating one's 16th birthday is a giant milestone for most parents. It is a coming-of-age moment where their children embark on their last years of being teenagers before becoming young adults. Leslie Anthony Lebenon's 16th birthday was one he will never forget, as he achieved a historic milestone, completing his first solo flight, making him the youngest student pilot in South Africa to achieve this award. Having a passion for aviation at a young age, Leslie was inspired by his father, Les Lebenon, a licensed fixed-wing and helicopter pilot, and knew that this was his destiny. According to his mother, Michelle Pretorius, he began flying remote-controlled aircraft on their family's game farm at just the mere four years old. This later turned into a deep and growing enthusiasm for aviation. On Leslie's 16th birthday (April 6), he accomplished his first-ever solo flight in a Robinson R44 Raven II after only 10 hours of training with a Helivate helicopter instructor. He is currently the youngest student pilot to ever achieve such, and notably, he did so with one of the lowest recorded flight hours for a solo flight in the country. 'Leslie's aviation journey has been marked by ambition, dedication, and a drive to surpass expectations inspired by his father. Les made history in his own right by becoming the youngest pilot to obtain a helicopter Private Pilot Licence (PPL) in South Africa on his 17th birthday. That achievement on its own set a powerful example for Leslie, who was determined not only to follow in his father's footsteps but also to set a new benchmark. 'Following the completion of his PPL, which Leslie wants to achieve on his 17th birthday, the required flying hours are 50, which he needs to complete. After this accomplishment, he will then aim for his fixed-wing private pilot's licence. 'Once he has obtained both qualifications, he plans to advance toward earning his commercial pilot licence, further solidifying his professional aviation credentials,' Michelle adds. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
What were those noisy helicopters spotted in the skies above Brierley Hill?
HELICOPTERS were spotted flying in the skies above Brierley Hill and Dudley on Tuesday afternoon (April 29). A privately owned Robinson R44 Raven II was circling the Brierley Hill and Merry Hill area around lunchtime, according to website Flight Radar. It travelled from Birmingham before reaching the Black Country and heading to Telford. Shortly after, there was another helicopter spotted, a privately owned Airbus Helicopter AS355NP Ecureuil 2, which passed through Brierley Hill and Dudley. People can check the Flight Rader website for live information on planes and helicopters passing in the skies.
Russia Today
11-04-2025
- General
- Russia Today
Penguin blamed for helicopter crash in South Africa (IMAGES)
South African authorities have announced that a helicopter which crashed in the country on January 19, 2025 had been brought down by a penguin on board, the British newspaper Daily Mail reported on Friday. The incident occurred when a Robinson R44 Raven II helicopter took off from Bird Island in Eastern Cape province. On Tuesday, the South African Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) explained in its report that the penguin had been placed inside a cardboard box, which a researcher on board was holding on his lap. However, shortly after takeoff, it slipped from the passenger's grip. 'Whilst transitioning and about 15m above ground level, the cardboard box slid off to the right and on to the pilot's cyclic pitch control lever,' the report said. The impact forced the lever to shift abruptly to the right, causing the helicopter to roll violently. 'The pilot could not recover timeously,' and the aircraft descended rapidly, with its blades striking the ground. It was severely damaged in the crash, but fortunately, neither the human occupants nor the penguin sustained major injuries. The report stated that the 'penguin's containment was not suitable for the flight conditions' due to the lack of a secure crate. © South African Civil Aviation Authority The purpose of the flight had been to assist a researcher in conducting a wildlife survey. After the process was completed, the helicopter landed on the island, where the scientist requested transport for one of the penguins back to Port Elizabeth. The pilot, who was identified in the report only as a 35-year-old male with over 1,650 flight hours and a license obtained in 2021, agreed to the request. The penguin was placed inside a cardboard box for the return trip. While the pilot had performed a pre-flight risk assessment, the investigation revealed that he had failed to account for the additional risk posed by carrying the animal on board. © South African Civil Aviation Authority The report recommended that pilots receive additional training in flight risk management. Pretoria's High Court has imposed a 10-year ban on commercial fishing in six areas off South Africa's west coast to protect the endangered African penguin, SABC radio reported in March. READ MORE: How Trump's trade policies could spell disaster for this region In 2024, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classified the African penguin as 'critically endangered,' the first among 18 penguin species to receive this status. The population has declined by 97% over the past century, with fewer than 8,000 breeding pairs remaining. Commercial fishing off the coast of South Africa and Namibia remains the primary threat to their survival.
Yahoo
11-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
South African helicopter crash blamed on penguin in a box
They're flightless for good reason: A penguin in a cardboard box contributed to the crash of a helicopter in South Africa in January, a recently published government report says. A passenger on the Robinson R44 Raven II helicopter was holding the box with the bird inside when the box shifted on Jan. 19, South Africa's Civil Aviation Authority said. As the helicopter was around 50 feet off the ground, 'the cardboard box slid off to the right and on to the pilot's cyclic pitch control lever,' the report says. The aircraft rolled, its rotor blades hit the ground, and the helicopter crashed on its right side, the report said. 'None of the occupants was injured; the penguin was also unharmed,' it said. The crash happened on Bird Island on a trip to conduct an aerial survey off the country's southeastern coast. No reason is given in the report for why the penguin was on board, only that a specialist conducting the survey asked that it be brought back and the pilot agreed. The aviation authority found that the pilot did not follow proper procedures regarding cargo. The pilot conducted an inspection but "omitted to state in the risk assessment form the intention to transport the penguin in a cardboard box on-board," it said. "The lack of secure containment for the penguin created a dangerous situation," it said. The aviation authority stressed in the report that the crash shows the importance of adhering to safety rules. This article was originally published on
The Independent
11-04-2025
- General
- The Independent
Penguin in passenger seat causes helicopter crash in South Africa
An unsecured penguin placed in a cardboard box has been identified as the reason for a helicopter crash in South Africa. The penguin, which was kept in a cardboard box on a passenger's lap, created a 'dangerous situation, the South African Civil Aviation Authority said. The box fell off from the passenger's lap in the 19 January incident and hit the helicopter's controls after the take off from Bird Island off the Eastern Cape, the report said. The Robinson R44 Raven II was unable to recover at the 15m height and the main rotor blades struck the ground, crashing the four-seat helicopter. No one on board was harmed during the accident, including the penguin. The South Africa CAA said in its report 'the lack of secure containment for the penguin' was responsible for creating the 'dangerous situation'. The pictures of the incident showed that the helicopter was completely damaged and the bird's enclosure was a cardboard box with holes. The report did not say why the penguin was being transported. A pilot and three passengers on board along with the penguin were conducting an aerial survey flight in the afternoon and the specialist on board requested to transport one of the penguins back to Port Elizabeth. 'The pilot agreed to the request and the penguin was placed in a cardboard box,' it said. 'The pilot conducted a risk assessment of the flight; however, he omitted to include the carriage (transportation) of the penguin on-board. 'The passenger seated on the left front seat placed the cardboard box containing the penguin on his lap and secured it with his hands. 'Whilst transitioning and about 15m above ground level (AGL), the cardboard box slid off to the right and on to the pilot's cyclic pitch control lever. 'As a result, the cyclic pitch control lever advanced to the far-right position. The helicopter rolled to the right and the pilot could not recover timeously.' The report said that absence of a proper and secured crate meant that the 'penguin's containment was not suitable for the flight conditions'. It added that the pilot 'omitted to state in the risk assessment form the intention to transport the penguin in a cardboard box on-board'.
