The dolphin class, one of the Grade R classes of Die Wingerd Pre-Primary School in Somerset West, ended its week with a memorable experience when they visited the Stellenbosch Airfield on Friday 17 May.
The children joined in a fantasy flight, living through all the steps one would go through when boarding a flight. They bought their own tickets with “play” money, then presented their “play” passports, which were stamped. They were then checked by airport security personnel (mothers), monitored as they walked through a make-believe X-ray machine and listened to the before-take-off emergency briefing with the air hostess, their teacher Frieda van Zyl.
Captain Gary Atherstone, a pilot of one of the local airlines, spoke to the children about a flight and what is needed to fly. He explained some of the basic principles of a flight and motivated them to work hard at school and live their dreams – and if it includes becoming a pilot, they must “reach for the sky”.
The real fun occurred when they were allowed to board a real aircraft – a former South African Air Force (SAAF) plane Bosbok, owned by Rickus Erasmus, who gladly offered it to inspire the five-year-olds.
Atherstone explained to the children how to steer an aircraft, climb and descend and fly faster and slower. He showed them the instruments and switches in the cockpit.
Each child had the opportunity to have their photograph taken while sitting in the pilot’s seat and they also looked at a Dassault F1 Mirage, an aircraft that was also used by the SAAF. They also had their photos taken at the tail of the aircraft, the hottest part of the fighter jet, where the flames are visible when the throttle of the jet is in full after-burn.
