The Makatini slips the headphone over his ears, adjusts the mic as he pinches himself. The whirly bird flaps into life, the pilot welcomes us all onboard and we gracefully lift off the ground in the Airbus H120.
‘The Hummingbird’ banks left and flies off over the harbour before we are able to see glorious Table Mountain on our left hand side, the city bowl below and Robben Island on our right. We whisk past the 12 Apostles, Chapmans Peak drive over to Noordhoek with the Atlantic Ocean on our right hand side with a 180 degree view of the horizon…wow!
The pilot wiggles his joystick as we gradually bank left and fly overland between Noordhoek and Fish Hoek. His voice crackles to life with excitement over the headphones. He has spotted a shark, lazily swimming in the Fish Hoek Bay. With a stomping of his foot, another big wiggle on his stick, we lose our stomachs as we circle around again to get a glimpse of the magnificent creature drifting in the beautiful turquoise water below.
We straighten out and make our way onwards with False Bay drifting behind and the backside of Table Mountain, Constantia Winelands, Kirstenbosch, Devils Peak and the Mother City majestically revealing themselves to our left and in-front of us.
Our time has almost come to an end as we fly over the harbour, then he lines her up and he expertly brings ‘The Steel Dragon’ down on terra firma.
The Makatini steps out, bows his head and waltzes across the tarmac with a wee spring in his step. What an unbelievable experience! As this thought drifts through his head he feels a warm slimy substance slide down his neck, looks up at the soaring seagulls and says thank heavens pigs don’t fly.
Author: Rory Taylor
Edited: Marie-Gaye Barton