38
GA
/ Vol. 5 / No. 3 / MARCH 2013
People in Aviation
Aviation family
Nigel was born in Port Elizabeth and
grew up in Centurion where he went to
School at Lyttelton Primary followed
by that "amazing School on the hill" as
he puts it being Pretoria Boys High.
He grew up in an Aviation family
with his Uncle being an SAA Pilot
during his younger years but his Dad
Derek was certainly the biggest influ-
ence on his flying.
He had many "unofficial" lessons
through the EAA and from his "Old
Man" but began official training at
the Defence Flying Club while doing
National service as a loadmaster at 44
Sqn. Nigel built hours initially flying at
parachute clubs on really old and bat-
tered planes and once he had a Comm
through Instruction at Grand Central
and flying money to Pietersburg. Some
of the best flying and lessons learned
was doing medical rescue flying. Nigel
also had a short stint at SA Express
before joining SAA in January 1996.
SAA
He was fortunate to be accepted at a
very young age into SAA, just two
weeks shy of his 23rd Birthday. He has
had the pleasure of flying the Boeing
737-200, 737-800, 767, 747 classic and
the Airbus 340 variants to many
destinations worldwide. Amazingly
Nigel started instructing in the Airline
at 25 as a pilot instructor before be-
coming a Training Captain in 2009.
Nigel has an incredible family that
understands his passion. The Sport
Aerobatic Club of which Nigel is
Chairman has many like minded avia-
tion nuts which makes the camaraderie
unbelievable. The sport has grown in
numbers over the last five years which
makes the commitment from all the
members and committee worth while.
"Airline flying has become very
automated and it is easy to become
complacent" he says. General handling
skills also suffer as a result. Stick and
Rudder skills are certainly improved
with aerobatics and most aerobatic
aircraft have tail wheels which also
keeps you awake. This really helps for
those six monthly simulator checks.
As for the not so obvious, competition
aerobatic flying also requires good
discipline, planning and dynamic
decision making, all skills needed for a
successful aviation career.
Two key aspects to Nigel! "Disci-
pline is paramount in aerobatics as it is
for an airline pilot" he says. Adherence
to an aerobatic sequence can be likened
to flying the correct approach or let
down procedure.
Asked about fly by wire technol-
ogy and airliners he says FBW aircraft
bring improved safety features but
also hidden dangers, particularly if the
crew do not understand the systems
fully. Yes, the classic stick and rudder
skills and seat of the pants feel are not
as important in the modern aircraft as
long as everything is working. There
are times when they can be a great
asset, particularly when quick reactions
are needed such as windshear, TCAS
or GPWS events.
Aerobatics and sponsorship
Nigel, in common with most pilots
in this economy, has found it very
difficult to attract a major sponsor but
fortunately he has several key partners
in sponsors like Cirrus Aircraft and
Master Power Technologies. Support
Sponsors Flightsure Insurance, Air-
space Africa, Ecko Unlimited, Clifton
Electronics, Whirlwind Propellers, Dy-
namic Propellers, Von Zipper eyewear
and Ord Capital. The media is very
instrumental in helping him to attract
and keepsponsors and we appreciate all
the support from the aviation media.
The MX2 acquired a while ago
by Nigel and his team Xtreme is just
the most amazing aerobatic aircraft.
It has phenomenal performance, a
super fast roll rate, 200kt cruise speed
at relatively low fuel burn and due to
its fully composite build is easy to
maintain. It has no vices and excellent
control harmony.
Training Captain at SAA
He has been back on the B737 800 for
just short of three years now and just
over a year on the A319/320 as a Train-
ing Captain. "The airline environment
is ever changing and who knows what
or where we will be flying in the future.
For now I look back on an amazing
aviation journey and have been blessed
with many opportunities" adds Nigel.
He looks forward to many more years
of learning experiences, hopefully a
full career with SAA and many hours
with like minded aviation junkies.
Right now he needs to get to know
and enjoy the mini Airbus and has a
few more international shows lined up
for Team Xtreme. "I need to make a
little more money for the MX2!"
Next up we asked Nigel to take us
through the flight deck of the Airbus
A319 which he currently flies fo4r SAA
Flight deck of the A319
Nigel very kindly invited me on board
Nigel Hopkins
This month we have a chat
to a very passionate aviator,
a man who at his relatively
young age has excelled at
aerobatics, been Chairman of
the Sport Aerobatic Club for
a number of years and a
very responsible training
captain at SAA
Aove: Nigel at Virginia airport.
Top: Nigel and SFO Mahamed Badat getting the A319 ready for a trip from King
Shaka to Johannesburg.
Nigel with wife and daughters, (from left to right) Emma-Lee(10),
Cailin, Jorja(6), Jessica(10)