World AirNews June 2018

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Wooden Overcoat
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— 78 —
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S
OME WEEKS ago I received an
email from James Forson asking me
if I would like to write a “crit” on a book
entitled “Wooden Overcoat” he had edited
which is basically the autobiography of
Peter Strong, a South African pioneer pilot,
and the birth and development of his Drakensberg
Air Service.
My job as a Commercial Pilot was with
another Basutoland airline, Basutair,
which was based in the capital Maseru,
so I jumped at the idea. I had heard a lot
about Peter Strong and the de Havilland
Dragon Rapide which was his Ladysmith,
Natal-based airline’s sole aircraft. I also
learned a lot about the dangers associated
with flying in the Basutoland (now Lesotho)
mountains during the 800 flying hours I
logged during the six months I was with
Basutair.
I must admit that I was soon engulfed in
reading the book, especially the chapters
about Peter’s flying experiences, especially
in Lesotho, so much so that each time I
opened it, I found I was soon unable to put
the book down until I was well into it and
so tired that I could hardly keep my eyes
open. It is that kind of book which grabs
and holds firmly on to your attention.
The book’s middle and later chapters centre
mainly on the Drakensberg Air Service
and Peter’s experiences in flying the Rapide
in the mountains. But there is one chapter
which describes a Cessna the DAS used to
fly materials from Ladysmith in the middle
of winter to Mokhotlong to build a structure
to house some government service.
Here, then, is a sub-edited version of the
chapter written by Peter Strong:
“One has to experience the sensation
of spinning with a fully loaded aircraft in
c loud. In a spin no very great stresses or
strains are put on the aircraft itself. The
danger lies in the possibility of freight
breaking loose and crashing on top of the
pilot, also the likelihood of not having
sufficient altitude to pull out of the spin
once the iced-up controls are free.
“It is awful to hear great chunks of ice
flying off the propeller and sticking to
the sides of the machine. Very often I
found that ice did not necessarily leave
each propeller blade simultaneously,
resulting in very dangerous vibrations,
The story of the Drakensberg Air Service
Peter Strong
Edited by James Forson
unless the engine was throttled right back,
which is not at all a healthy thing to have
to do when one is wrestling to keep the
aircraft on an even keel and at safe altitude,
with the knowledge that the mountain
peaks are touching the cloud base only a
few hundred feet below. It is usual to lose
up to 50 percent of engine power if very
severe icing occurs.
“It is a very serious mishap to get into a
spin at all in cloud, and it is an awful ordeal
to have to sit and watch the altimeter
needle rotate backwards round and round
the dial as the aircraft spins faster and
faster into space with the controls locked
solid; then the tremendous relief of feeling
the elevators, rudder and ailerons freed
by the warm rain; then the spin recovery,
full opposite rudder, centralise the stick
and rest the tip of the thumb in the bottom
centre of the dashboard to maintain that
position of the stick which is so vital to spin
recovery.
“However experienced one may be in
blind flying, I have always had to fight
against the dangerous temptation of holding
the stick back instead of forward when
faced with the recovery of an unintentional
spin. As soon as the “Turn” needle flicks
over to the other side, indicating that the
wings have stopped rotating, the pilot must
be very quick to centralise the rudder to
prevent the aircraft going into a tight spiral
drive in the opposite direction.
“Spins either occur to the left or to the
right. Not the fear of crashing again, but….”
PREFACE
To write a “crit” as suggested by James
Forson, especially to do so in the space
available in “Hangar Talk” was almost
beyond me, so I have decided to reprint
James’s Preface which describes the book
in detail. Here it is:
World Airnews | December 2017
— 4 —
“This book tells the story of the Drakensberg
Air Service. A brave pioneering
firm that brought aviation to the Lesotho
Highlands.
“This book has taken a long time to be
published. The original manuscript was
written in the late 1950s by Peter Strong,
the founder of the Drakensberg Air Service.
A copy landed in my late father’s possession.
My father, Robert Forson, was born
in Lesotho and grew up in Mafeteng and
Mokhotlong. He had a special love for Lesotho
and being a journalist and a newspaper
editor, it is likely that the two men’s
paths crossed and the manuscript was
exchanged. Perhaps my father was meant
to assist in editing the manuscript.
“My father died in 1960. The manuscript
lay in a steel trunk until I wrote and
published my father’s biography, using
the papers and documents in the trunk. I
then decided that the pioneering story of
the Drakensberg Air Service – the Wooden
Overcoat – was too important to leave in
the trunk for another 50 years.
“This is Peter Strong’s story of the Drakensberg
Air Service, told in his own words.
My editor’s hand has been light, because I
wanted to preserve as much of Peter’s original
story as possible. The discerning reader
will forgive the parts where the details are
unclear or don’t seem to follow, and will
also be kind when the story ends abruptly.
I think Peter had not quite finished with
the manuscript before it ended up in my
father’s trunk.
“I have tried unsuccessfully to trace Peter’s
surviving children and grandchildren.
If they should read this, I urge them to
get in touch with me. We share a common
bond with a great man. It has been a
privilege to share the exploits, dangers and
efforts of an aviation pioneer of 60 years
ago.” Thus ended his preface.
Hardly a “crit” in the true sense of
the word, admittedly, but enough to
encourage any aviation-minded reader
to acquire, but be careful if you do, for
you will become so engrossed in the
story that you might not be able to put
the book down to read more another
day. Q