Fabulous flight with the fighter flying family 

By CO Maryke Lynn

“Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of earth, and danced the sky on laughter-silvered wings, sunward I’ve climbed and done a hundred things you have not dreamed of...” I found new meaning in these opening lines of ‘High Flight’, the famous airmen’s poem, as it turned into a reality for me on 9 November 2005.

This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to fly in an ‘Imp’, as their pilots affectionately call the Impala, gave me new insight into what it means to really fly. The build-up in anticipation started weeks before, and eventually settled in a knot of excitement in my stomach on our arrival at 85 Combat Flying School some hours before flight.

After a very thorough briefing on ejection procedures, familiarisation with equipment and getting strapped in tightly, we started taxiing towards the holding point. Shortly thereafter the tower cleared us for take-off and we took to the skies in close formation, with the General Officer Commanding Air Command, Maj Gen Frans Labuschagne, and his son, Maj Jaco “Weasel” Labuschagne, on our wing. After a few minutes of formation flying we broke into two different sectors under the watchful eye of a very competent mission controller.

I took the stick for a short while to test my ability to do ninety-degree banks somewhere between the big blue sky and the blanket of clouds covering the earth beneath us. From my first-hand experience, I can now legitimately testify to the Imp’s stability and easy handling.

Capt Catherine “Siren” Labuschagne once again resumed control of our Impala Mk I and took it through its paces, doing a loop, barrel roll, and Cuban eight. After experiencing the fun of aerobatics, things became a bit more serious as we engaged in a ‘dogfight’ with the other aircraft. I had my first real encounter with g-forces during the ensuing air-combat manoeuvres (ACM) that they performed to get behind each other and so get a clear shot. The experience of a g-suit squeezing your muscles in a fight to keep your blood from draining into your feet was incomparable.

We pulled up to 5 g in this pre-planned air-combat manoeuvre, during which I realised how fitting the callsigns bestowed upon this fighter flying couple really are! They are both wolves in sheep’s clothing in their aircraft, with “Siren”, derived from Greek mythology, being one of several beautiful sea nymphs whose singing was believed to lure sailors to destruction on the rocks that the nymphs inhabited. “Weasel”, on the other hand, makes one think of a harmless, furry little creature but, in actual fact, it devours even the most poisonous snakes.

After disengaging from the ‘dogfight’, we once again descended through the clouds for two touch-and-go landings. Coming around on final approach for the third time, I heard “Siren” requesting clearance for a full-stop landing and realised, with much regret, that this most pleasurable backseat ride was about to come to an end.

My experiences of the day took an unanticipated turn when I was properly rewarded for my first fighter sortie with a water-cannon letting off a burst in my direction… Flying with the three Labuschagnes definitely topped my most far-fetched expectations and our hour-long flight went by all too quickly.

Maj Gen ‘Lappies’, together with his son and daughter-in-law, are all rightfully proud of their status as the only fighter flying family in the South African Air Force.

They do not get the opportunity to fly together as often as they would like but, between the three of them, they have close to 3 000 flying hours in this very reliable little aircraft. Even though the pilots are excited about the Hawk and the advanced technology that comes with it, the Impala’s colourful operational and training history makes this aircraft special to one and all that have flown it, and therefore it will be greatly missed.

According to “Siren”, the Impala is a very basic aircraft in comparison to the Hawk, which she will be flying in the near future. She also said that the acquisition of the Hawk was a big step in the right direction. “It’s all about technology – the better your technology, the better your chances of survival when you’re in a difficult situation,” she said. Capt Labuschagne received her wings in 2000 and, after starting of in transport aircraft, she was transferred to the fighter line where she has been honing her skills in the Impala for the past three years. She is expecting to be allotted her ‘wingman’ status shortly.

Following in his father’s footsteps, Maj Labuschagne proudly qualified for his SAAF wings in 1997 on the Pilatus Astra. Currently he is a Pilot Attack Instructor at 85 Combat Flying School, where he is putting in every effort to get everyone on the unit at a pre-determined standard of excellence. Apart from the 700 hours he has on the Astra, he has 1000 hours on the Cessna 185 and 800 hours on the Impala. With the movement of operations from AFB Hoedspruit to AFB Makhado, “Weasel” will transfer to the flying Cheetahs (2 Squadron), where he will also at a later stage fly the Gripen.

“Weasel” and “Siren” met in 1999 at the Central Flying School, AFB Langebaanweg, when he was a flight instructor on the Astras and she a pupil pilot. They are of one mind in that all flying in the fighter line is rewarding, and that being on the correct target at the exact right moment in a pre-planned strike provides you with the ultimate satisfaction.

With their determination, distinction in the execution of their duties, and drive to always improve their abilities, the three Labuschagnes are a true inspiration and great example of living up to one’s potential.