Tag Archives: Neville Desselss

I need to mention some of the people, past and present – and in no particular order, with whom I have had the pleasure and privilege to work. Please excuse me if I’ve missed anyone out. That can be attributed to (a) a shortage of paper and, (b) a shortage of memory space! Pilots /Continue reading “Remembering my Colleagues”

Contribution from Neville Desselss In 1993 we were contracted by a company called Adventure Network International (ANI) who needed to fly to Antarctica, which would turn out to be one of of the major highlights in Safair’s history.  I was working in the Marketing section at the time when I received a telephone call fromContinue reading “Journey to the Bottom of the World”

Contribution from Neville Desselss During the Angolan bush war, the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) was supported by the South African government, and our Hercules was chartered to transport Aid to their teams up in Angola. Their headquarters were in Southern Angola at a place called Jamba. I was the contactContinue reading “Living the High Life in Angola”

Contribution from Neville Desselss In 2002, the Nyiragongo Volcano at Goma erupted. Lava streamed into the town, causing devastation in its wake, and eventually reached the main runway of the local airstrip. Safair was part of an organisation at the time called SAFREN, donated tonnes of aid to assist in the relief efforts. One ofContinue reading “Speaking the Universal Language of Africa in Goma”

Contribution from Neville Desselss In 1993/4 we were the first South African registered aircraft permitted back into Kenyan airspace and were contracted by a Kenyan company (Phoenix Aviation), for a series of flights for the United Nations and World Food Program from Nairobi to Mogadishu and Baidoa in Somalia The crew on that mission wereContinue reading “Where’s the Jack?”

Contribution from Neville Desselss In the late 70s, early 80s, we were requested to wet-lease a Herc for an operation in what was then Zaire, now known as the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Operations Manager at the time, Capt de Jager, Marketing Manager, Maurice de Robillard and I, were sent to discuss the potentialContinue reading “Mind the Spitting Snakes”