South Africans think it's clever to be rebellious; the rest of the world doesn't - especially when lives are at risk.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu described South Africa as the “Rainbow Nation” because of our society’s multiplicity of colours.
But, are we in danger of getting a reputation around the world as the “Cowboy Nation”, where we get our kicks out of pushing boundaries – of physics, of the law, even of good taste?
That’s a debate we need to have in the wake of the spectacular flyover of Cape Town Stadium on Saturday by two Embraer passenger jets of Airlink airline.
Spectators on the ground were stunned – as were millions on social media – by how close the planes came to the top of the structure just before the kick-off of the Springbok-All Black Test.
There is some debate about how close they came, but consensus is that it was less than 15 metres.
And, it goes without saying that, in two aircraft, each weighing upwards of 30 tons travelling at just under 300km/h, that leaves no margin for even the slightest error.
While we accept Airlink’s assurances that the stunt was only carried out after careful planning and practice and with six of its most senior pilots on the planes, the height clearance far exceeded the legislated minimum of 1 000 feet laid down in civil aviation regulations.
If special permission was granted for such a low flypast, especially seeing as the “show line” was right over almost 60 000 people in the stadium, the SA Civil Aviation Authority will have to explain itself.
After the first time this manoeuvre stunned the world, at the 1995 Rugby World Cup final in Johannesburg, when an SAA Boeing 747 jumbo jet roared over Ellis Park Stadium, we wonder if aviation companies might be pushing the envelope.
South Africans think it’s clever to be rebellious; the rest of the world doesn’t – especially when lives are at risk.
