In November 2022 we had the opportunity to run our own helicopter operation out of Hoedspruit, with Wild Wonderful World board member Grant Pengilly as the primary pilot.  In the first month he flew 19 hours, flying both conservation missions and safari/ tourism charters, with each of the tourism charters donating a portion of the profits back to conservation.

The conservation flights primarily focussed on training of Anti-Poaching Units (APUs) of several private nature reserves bordering the Kruger National Park. Training included both APU rangers & working dogs familiarisation with helicopter best procedures, safety measures and habituation for the working dogs when flying in a helicopter. Several field scenarios were practiced, including emergency call outs where rangers & dogs were picked up at the base camp & dropped off in the field to track suspected poachers. The ground teams also trained to work in conjunction with helicopter aerial support to prevent poaching incidents or catch suspected poachers. These operations have proven extremely useful to train and prepare APUs for scenarios where helicopter support is needed.

Unfortunately, mid-December the R44 helicopter was grounded due to a safety concern with the machine. This led into its expiry and time for scheduled re-build. To date, the owner of the machine is still waiting for a re-build kit so we have had to pause operations until the helicopter is back at hand.