What an experience! - SAAF Selections

It feels like it has been forever since I did my last entry. There has been quite a few things that kept me busy... I'm actually writing my Matric end exams at the moment but I just cannot wait any longer to finally write something about the most amazing and memorable 2 months of my life.

I cannot keep up with what has happened but I'll give it my best shot. Let me give you some more background again...

I have been in contact with Col. Hadfield since the 2nd of September. I phoned him almost every second day (before you think that I am a nuisance, he told me that I most phone him so much!) and we discussed the upcoming selections. He was trying his best to make sure that I will be able to attend the October selections. After a few phone calls he was able to tell me that my application form somehow got lost again. At this time the October selections would start in about 2 weeks and they have no application from me. He asked if I could personally bring him a copy of my application form so that he will personally hand it to them. The next day we drove through to AFB Ysterplaat and I did exactly what he asked. I was also able to visit the Ysterplaat Museum for the first time and woooaw, it was amazing. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

A few days later I heard from Col. Hadfield that my forms had been processed and that I will be attending selections in October. I was over the moon! Finally, I can start reaching for my dream. The butterflies I had was indescribable and I'm actually starting to feel them again as I'm typing this and thinking about that moment.

Now I just had to wait for confirmation from SAAF HQ and receive a SMS stating that I have been officially invited. (Col. Hadfield was only able to tell me that I am definitely going but he was unsure of when they will formally inform me.) I started phoning HQ on a daily basis to find out when I'm receiving my SMS and if I am going to attend selections because the time that the scheduled selections should take place was getting closer every single day.

Monday, 26th Of September... Still nothing from HQ. Selections is supposed to start that Sunday on the 2nd of October. Luckily my parents was able to arrange that we stay over at my Aunt's house in Wonderboom whenever we had to come through, so at least we were quite flexible. If we did not hear anything from SAAF by Friday morning we would cancel the trip, otherwise we arranged that we will be driving through on the 30th of September, the night of my Matric Farewell. I will attend the Matric Farewell but we will leave at 21:00 and drive through the night to Pretoria so that we will also be there in time for the Waterkloof Airshow! It has been a dream of mine this entire year to attend that Airshow... Reading about it on forums, magazines and posters just made the excitement unbearable.

It was only on the 28th of September that I finally received the SMS. It stated that I must be at Bosman station at 13:45 on Monday, 3 October. I was puzzled as why they said the 3d of October and not the 2nd. I phoned HQ and spoke to Corporal Ingalo. (She has also helped me sooo much and I am very grateful for it) She told me that for some reason selections has changed. It is no longer an entire week (If you pass everything) but only 2 days. The groups has also changed from 50 people in a week to 400 people in a week! She also said that we will only be doing one part of the test as well, not everything - only the Psychometric testing. Apparently, the reason she gave me, was that it "Saves money over the long term" ... I was a bit disappointed but still tried to keep my head high. You have to take it as it comes!

It was the night of the Matric Farewell and my b-e-a-u-tiful partner Chloe, who I am also very lucky to call my girlfriend, would also be joining me on my trip to Pretoria. (That is another reason why I was unable to get around to typing this!) I was fortunate enough to meet this amazing person who is able to support me in reaching for my dreams and know the sacrifices that we have to make if I do succeed in making it into SAAF. She will be visiting a friend that she hasn't seen in a few years while I will be at selections.

Anyway... It was 21:00 that night and we left to Chloe's house to get dressed in comfortable clothes for the long road that lies ahead. A few last photos, a quick visit to the loo and final greetings - we were off to Pretoria! We drove with my Mothers' BMW so there was quite some space in the back for us to sleep. Just as we left Hermanus we got comfy in our seats and dreamt  away! ...Later that night I woke up from a sudden jilt in the car and I could sense that something was wrong. Out of instinct I screamed "Don't hit the brakes, don't hit the brakes" as I thought that we might have burst a tyre. Since we were little toddlers my parents always drilled it into us to never hit the brakes when a tyre bursts as the car might spin out of control and could roll. After the car came to a stop it was filled with smoke. I only then realized we had been in a accident. It was at 23:50 and a few kilometers after Worcester. First I checked if everyone was okay - we were all shocked but luckily none of us were badly hurt. My Mother had a cut on her chin (Either by the airbag or the dog that was sleeping on her chest) and my dads leg was bruised. The dog was also fine. The next thing we tried to do was to get out of the car as quickly as possible. On the left hand side we were pinned to a tall fence and neither of the doors would budge. On the right hand side the front door could not open because of the impact. The right hand back door, the one I was sitting at, could barely open. I had to really force it open to get out. I then asked my Dad to open the bonnet so that I can see if there is a fire or a hazard in case we have to move quickly. He opened the bonnet and there was smoke everywhere, luckily there was no fire or dangerous hazard of any kind. My Dad tried to get out through the broken front windows but he could not as the door was completely shut and the airbag above the door for side impacts was pulled tightly like a nylon rope and obscured him from getting out the window. He passed me his pocket knife and I cut the rope so that he could get out of the window. During this time my Mother was phoning my brother and told him what happened and that he must come with another vehicle to pick us up.

Finally everyone was out of the wreckage and the Police just arrived, shortly followed by an ambulance. They drove the car away on a low-bed as it was completely written off. The policeman then drove us to the police station where my brother would be picking us up. We arrived at the police station and at this stage I still did not know how it happened. My Dad told me that a lorry with a trailer was doing a U-turn on the main road. (which we could not see as it was just after a bend.) As he passed the trucks' headlights he could only then see the trailer that was on our side of the road. The trailer didn't have any reflector strips on it either and was completely invisible in the dark. When he saw it he hit the brakes and swung out. We were going 100km/h at that time. He swung out to the point where the left wheels was on the gravel and the right wheels was barely on the road and yet we STILL hit the trailer. The car then veered off the road and into a 2m ditch (That's when I woke up) and stopped against the fence. The truck drove off and we never found it again. Another shocking thing was that when we were in that ditch for 20minutes and the police wasn't there yet, only ONE car stopped to see if we were okay... One car out of a few hundred that passed AND the accident was clearly visible from both sides. Absolutely shocking...

We only got home at 05:00 that Saturday morning. The thought of people already at Waterkloof almost put a tear in my eye and I tried not to think about it. It was sad - I wish I could have been there but there was absolutely nothing I could do. I woke up at about 08:00 after a short sleep and we started planning on what we're going to do now. We could drive through with my car but Mom didn't want us to... the shock was still quite overwhelming. We then opted to fly up as that was the only other thing we could do. We found tickets with 1Time airlines (They were the cheapest but still really expensive as it was booked a day before the flight and it was on a Sunday) It was set - My Dad and I will be flying to OR Thambo International the next morning, Sunday, at 09:00...

That Saturday Chloe and I spent some time together trying to work through the shock and think straight again. We realized that if we were a few more centimeters to the right then we would have hit the trailer head on and it could have been a lot worse. If it wasn't for my Dad's quick reaction it would not have been a nice sight... After a event like that you realize how precious life is and how easily it can come to a end. We are all just very grateful that it wasn't worse. (I did not plan to write it in that much detail, the memories just came back as I was busy typing it)

That Sunday morning we were on our way to the airport at 06:20. I was still really tired because of the lack of sleep, which is quite ironic as I tried to get as much sleep as I can that previous week so that I will be fresh and rested at selections. I wanted to sleep as my Dad drove us there, but I refrained from doing so... We chatted about SAAF and he asked me some questions that they might ask when I am there. At the airport we had a nice KFC breakfast and sat in the viewing section where we can watch the airplanes arriving and departing. It was interesting to see how the different aircraft had different characteristics and how some could take off at very low speeds and the others used almost the whole runway... I don't really know a lot about the airlines' aircraft but it seems like that is a big section in aviation itself. I'm quite sure that I would gain some more knowledge about that in time.

As we drove to the apron I could feel the excitement as I only then realized that this would be the first time that I would have the opportunity to fly this entire year! We boarded the airplane through the rear and the sound of the engines was overwhelming. I have been smiling from ear to ear the entire drive there and my cheeks actually started to hurt. We sat on the left isle which were only two seats. I had the window seat and we were sitting just-just in front of the wing. I read the safety leaflet while we were still waiting for everyone to board. As the final people boarded I looked out of the window and could see the Pilot doing some checks as the flaps moved. Everyone was ready and we had a quick introduction from the Pilot and his air hostess'. We taxied to the runway and I was astounded to see how much Cape Town International had changed since the last time I was there. The last time I flew there was in 2007! We were lined up on the runway and I could hear the engines starting to roar. The brakes was released and we were off!

We gained speed quickly as I saw the other aircraft in the apron flickering by. As we pulled up I felt some slight G-Forces - I haven't felt that in ages! That feeling alone is almost like a drug. I saw the runway getting smaller under us and instinctively showed my self-satisfied smirk. We did some turns to the left and I got goosebumps all over as I could not get enough of the "I'm flying" feeling. We leveled out at 30 000 foot and I could not see anything out the window anymore as it was completely overcast. It was just clouds everywhere but it still felt amazing - almost as if we were floating over the clouds! For the entire 2 hour trip my head was glued to the window. The only time I turned it around was when I heard "Would you like something to drink?"

We approached Johannesburg and I immediately noticed how different it was from the Cape. It was covered by a big brown cloud of pollution. We descended through the cloud and I could only then see the rest of Jozi. The Cape is sooo much more beautiful than Gauteng and I would really miss it if I do reach my dreams but it's just one of those sacrifices that goes with it...

We landed safely at OR Thambo and was greeted by my Auntie René. She then drove us to her home in Wonderboom which is walking distance away from the Wonderboom Airport! As we got to her home I could hear the aircraft flying overhead. Every time I heard one I ran outside to look which airplane it was. My Aunt even said that I'm like a child in a toy store... If only she would understand! That night I ate as much as I can as I did not know when I will have a delicious meal again.


I had a good nights sleep and was up early morning to get my things ready. I packed my clothes for two days and also packed all the essentials such as my SAAF introductory module I compiled, my application forms as requested and my ID. We left at about 09:00 to try and find Bosman Station as we only had a slight idea of where it is. My Dad and I drove about 30 minutes to the area and started asking around for directions. After a few petrol tanks we were able to find it. We were a good 2 and a half hours early! I phoned a good friend of mine, JC Nel, who would also be attending the selections but drove with a bus which SAAF bought the ticket for. He would arrive at Bosman Station shortly and we decided to wait for him. Half an hour later he arrived and we then went to McDonalds to fill our tummy's some more. There was still some time left and we then drove around, looking for some interesting stores that we could look around in. We found a Army Surplus store and my Dad instinctively stopped there. They had a wide variety of items - even some flight suits and ex-SAAF flight helmets. I was able to buy my brother a Mini MagLite for his birthday which he would use at work. We then went back to Bosman Station and was perfectly on time. We got on the SAAF Bus that would take us to the Headquarters.

On the bus we met Candidate Officer Thabo. (Unfortunately I can not remember his surname) He will be with our group the entire time. We also met another Corporal that would do the same. It was almost like a good-cop, bad-cop situation as CO Thabo was the good cop and the Corporal was the bad cop - which the rest of the group instantly gave an inappropriate nickname to. We arrived at HQ at about 14:30 and immediately went to a big hall where they have meetings and presentations. We then had a few introductory speeches by various Corporals. We were told that selections had been changed due to a sink hole at one of the institutes and that they had to move the equipment to a different airbase. If we do pass the Psychometric testing we would come back to Pretoria to do the rest of the tests... They also asked us some SAAF related questions and I was able to answer the majority of them. Only a few of us could actually answer some of them. Nobody but myself knew who the Chief of the Air Force was or who founded SAAF. I was astounded to see that more than half of the people could not even name one aircraft that was in service. It was really shocking - what were they all doing there if they lacked the passion that drives you?


The previous days' group arrived from their Psychometrics and we were told to wait outside of the hall while their results are being read. While we have been waiting for at least a full hour some of the people in my group started to get restless and started to fidget around. There was only a hand full of us that was still enjoying every second and who chatted about SAAF. We play the "Hurry up and wait game" some more and I really did not even mind the slightest bit as I just wished I could have been there every single day of my life. Some people came out of the hall crying and others with a glisten in their eyes. They were a group of about 70 and only 8 made it through the Psychometrics! When they were done we were told that we will be leaving for Ditholo where we would be spending the night, at 18:00 and which was in 30 minutes. We then did a 5 minute walk to where the bus would pick us up.

There was a old Mirage on display outside of HQ and only a few of us knew that it was a Mirage! I stood in awe and wished that someday I might fly in one of them. We then waited another 25 minutes for the bus to arrive. The bus picked us up and we were then joined by another 15 people who was already on the bus. They arrived a bit later and unfortunately missed out on a great day. I counted the group and we were 53 people in Mondays' group. This is not a racist remark as I am not racist but only 10 people from the group was white - only 1 white female. We then proceeded to drive to Ditholo. On our way there we stopped at a petrol station so that we can get some snacks and water - if you do not feel like drinking "Military Water" ... Some pushed their luck and got Steers Burgers which then made the 5 minute stop a 30 minute stop.


It was a long drive and we only arrived at Ditholo at about 20:00. We immediately went to the mess hall and had a 5 star meal. I was really impressed by the quality of food. We had a nice piece of meat with gravy, potatoes and veggies. We also had juice and could have some bread if you'd like to. We only had 15 minutes to eat as we wasted time at the petrol station. I am quite a slow eater but the food was so good I was able to finish in record time! When you were done eating each of us had to wash our own "Varkpan" and then had to unpack the luggage. Some of the group members brought luggage for a month! The bags were bigger than them... Eish!

We then proceeded to our bunker and everyone settled in at about 20:30. I had a quick, warm, shower - yes, they have 200litres of warm water for every bunker. We all then went to lie on our beds and chatted some more. I tried to sleep early as I knew we had to wake up at 04:00 the next morning and we needed all the rest we could get. I was the only one that put my Silver Falcon beanie on and pulled it over my eyes to block the light and tried to sleep. The beds was quite comfy as they supplied a mattress, pillow and military sleeping bag. The bunker was warm enough to sleep without a shirt.  I remembered waking up at 22:00 and they were all still chatting away! ...Not very smart if you are writing a VERY important test the next day. At least some of them were smart enough to ask if they could borrow my module to study some of the information in there.


Early the next morning we were woken up by the light that was switched on and a different group that was training at Ditholo and doing their early morning jogs with songs being chanted. I immediately woke up and headed for the bathroom so that I can be woken up properly by a luke-warm shower. I was finished showering and most of them were still sleeping! Only a few of us were making our beds and getting ready for the day. We then swept the floor around our beds and brushed our teeth as we didn't know if we would be able to come back and do it after breakfast. While the others were slowly awaking a few of us went to the mess hall for breakfast.

The breakfast was 5 star again as we had scrambled eggs, a BIG spoon of cheese and chicken livers - everything that is high in protein. It was nicely flushed down by juice and a sweet orange. We were done long before the others who were still putting make-up on and doing their nails - or so it felt like. Dragging their enormous bags to he bus the Corporal started getting impatient and ordered us to get seated. We were supposed to leave at 06:00 but due to a few others we were 15 minutes late... We were finally on the road again - destined for the MPI (Military Psychological Institute, if I can remember correctly)


We arrived at the MPI at 08:00 and were directed to the presentation room. We were given a short presentation and were shown a few clips of the Gripen in action to get us excited. That was followed by a 10 minute break to quickly fill our tummy's and have a round at the loo. All of us had to be seated in the exam room at 09:00. I was so eager to start with the tests that I sat all the way in front as candidate number 1. We were given a short introduction of how the tests would work and how the time limits would work. We would do 1 or 2 tests and then have a 5 minute break and then 1 or 2 more tests. For obvious reasons I will not elaborate on the tests itself but what I can say is that either you can do them or you can't. Luckily I was able to get myself into that "robot" thinking mode and do my utmost best. Some of the tests that was designed to not be completed in time I was able to complete with a quarter of the time remaining. From the entire test there was only 2 questions which I left blank and that was 2 that I was unable to do. I tried though but it got the better of me. Then again - 2 questions left out is nothing compared to the 50+ that others have left out. Also, while we were writing I could hear a jet bolt over the MPI and also various different aircraft and every time I heard it I had my little grin on my face whilst writing. I knew I gave it my best and was happy by how it went. We finished with testing at about 13:30 - Yes, that is 4 and a half hours of constant, intense testing! Hence the need for proper sleep!


We played the hurry up and wait game until 15:00 and discussed the test and various funny answers some gave. The bus finally arrived. (It had to pick up a new group at Bosman Station and drop them off at HQ before it could pick us up) My friend, JC, and a few other Capetonians that also drove with the bus had to be at Bosman Station at 16:15 for their ticket back to Cape Town. We then proceeded to drop them off and only a few of us was left to go back to HQ to receive the results.  After we dropped them off we were all handed "Snack Boxes" which consisted of 2 cheese sandwiches, a juice box and an apple. We were also given a choice between a packet of Cheese Curlers or Big Corn Bites. I was starting to get butterflies again as we arrived at HQ.


Sitting quietly in the hall as we did the previous day I could sense a eerie aura filling the room. We were all quietly nibbling away on our snack boxes waiting for someone to bring us the results. After a few more minutes of waiting we were kindly greeted by Lieutenant Colonel "Rakalakala" (And please excuse me that I do not know how to spell his surname, but only know how to pronounce it more or less right - I will just refer to him as "Col. R" from this point forward until I have found out how to spell his surname) Col. R then gave us a speech about what it is like to be a military Pilot and tried to explain to us the type of profile or attitude they are looking for in a potential candidate. He then stated that he will divide us into 3 groups in no particular order. A group that didn't do very well, a group that just-just missed it and a group that passed the Psychometric testing.

At first he called out a few names and took those candidates to a room to privately speak to all of them. In that group was a few friends that I made whom I believed would easily pass the test - including my good friend JC (who was already on his way back to CT and asked me to SMS him the results.) I started to stress and awaited the news. They were not allowed to speak to us until all of the groups had been announced, although I could see on some of their faces that they looked a bit disappointed.

My name was called out next and the majority of my group was already on their way back to their homes. We were only three people present and at that moment I was unsure of how many names were called out. Col. R then started to tell us that we did really well in the tests BUT that we do not fit the profile of a military Pilot. He told us that he had good news however and that was that we can consider any other job in SAAF except Pilot training... we can also consider navigator training. My heart was broken (Really, it was!) and I suddenly became nauseous. At first I asked him if he was serious and he said yes and that he is very sorry. That moment a tear was forming in the corner of my eye and I stood with my hands in my hair. I told Col. R that I worked sooo hard and that I want to fly and do nothing else than that... I remember the "Colonel, I want to fly sooo bad - I dont want to do anything else than fly!" very clearly ...He just said sorry, there's noting he can do and that we must choose if we want to consider another job offer or come back next year March to try again. I could see that the other guys that was with me also wanted to shed a few tears. Their chins started to shudder as they were trying to contain the tears.

We all said that we will be coming back next year March as we wanted to fly! I didn't want the others to see that we didn't make it and wiped the tears off. If they see we did not make it then they will know that they did. As we walked out of the door Col. R stopped us and said that he will see us in the first week of December. We made it! He was playing a very, very bad joke on us but I would have most probably done the exact same. I asked him "Colonel, is it okay if I hug you?" and all three of us proceeded to hug him. He told us that from the 53 only 6 of us had passed - 5 white males and 1 Indian female. I was extremely happy and knew that I was one step closer to my dream! We walked out of the hall and bumped into the "bad-cop" Corporal that was with us the whole time and gave him a hug too.


My dad waited for me outside the HQ at this time and I tried to put a sad face on to fool him. I told him I did not make it and he immediately started to comfort me, I just smiled... I then told him that I did make it and he was just as happy and proud as I was. He even got goosebumps too, all over his arms and legs. I phoned my Mother and told her the story how Col. R told it to us. Only at the end I told her that I actually made it and she was really excited too! The next person I had to tell was Chloe and I told her the same story. Everyone was really happy and it was an amazing day!


Every second I was there I tried to stop me from smiling as my cheeks was really hurting from all the smiles. The selections were handled really well and I take my hat off to SAAF for doing it so professionally. It has greatly exceeded my expectations and I am even more eager to follow my dream!


After a good night's sleep we were off the next morning - heading home. We rode the Gautrein all the way from Hadfield to OR Thambo. It was about a hours drive with the train. That was quite a experience in itself as it was the first time I was on a rather fast train.


At the airport my dad and I had a nice Wimpy Burger. Our tummy's were full and we were ready for the flight! I was really excited as this time there was 0% cloud coverage the entire way back. In our boarding queue I saw there was someone standing whom was also at selections! It was Tamsyn Dunn, the only female that passed our groups' tests. She still didn't know that she had passed and I gave her the good news. She seemed really happy.


The flight back was amazing. It is really difficult to see a car on the main road at 30 000 feet though, they are small specks moving on the roads.. You can see everything from up there. Big mountain ranges, rivers, the drainage patterns in the mountains, the circle crops - everything! It is truly amazing! As we passed over Kimberley we had some HECTIC turbulence. I have never felt it that much before. Negative G's, positive G's... It was really fun though. We descended to a lower altitude to decrease the turbulence a little. As we came into Cape Town the scenery was beautiful. We had to do a circuit before we could land and did some sight seeing. It was quite an experience and I cant wait to get up there again!


And that is the end of my really amazing experience. I am very positive that I will have a lot of them next year when I'm busy with my SAAF Pilot training. Although I have not completed all of the selection tests yet, I am very sure that I will do absolutely great and pass them with flying colours. All that is left is the December Psychomotor Testing, Medicals and a few interviews. If I pass them I will start with my Basic Military Training on the 10th of January.


If something pops up before the December selections then I will definitely post it on here - if I get the time. For now its focus on my Matric end exams. Last test is on 23d of November... Maybe I will be able to do some flying in that 2 week gap before selections, hopefully!


I unfortunately only took some photos whilst flying up to JHB with my Cell Phone and for some reason I am unable to copy them over to the computer. I do hope however that I explained a lot of it in enough detail that you can create your own picture of the trip.


...Back to studying for now... Drive safely and keep your eye on the sky!


...Jaco over and out...