Between the turquoise blue water and the spectacular coral reefs lie islands so intriguing they boast some of the high tourist numbers of the islands in the world. 5 Main Islands are the product of the Indian Ocean. They are in no particular order Mauritius, Maldives, Seychelles, Mombasa and Zanzibar.
White sandy beaches offer lazy days in the sun. A True beach holiday is the Indian Ocean islands.

Islands highlights:

Mauritius

East of the African continent lies Mauritius, the island of Love. Popular for a variety of hotels and offer excellent value for money and perfect for honeymooners and weddings. Only 4 hour flight from South Africa and no visas are needed by South-Africans. At present no Inoculations or malaria precautions are needed which make it an easy affordable destination for South-African families and couples.

Mauritius resorts boast some of the biggest variety water sports between the islands which are a must on any beach holiday and most are included in packaged deals.
Mauritius accommodation is mostly hotel style or beach villas.

Maldives

North East of the African continent approximately 9 hours direct flight to the islands of Maldives. Maldives consist of Atolls which make up the separate islands. Most resorts are positioned on their own island which makes it a truly unique experience. Some of the best diving sites are in the Maldives and because of the remote location and protected reefs Maldives are generally more expensive than Mauritius. Read the rest of this entry »

South African aviation authorities are bringing new innovative methods to the table in an effort to spare the industry another killer month. The sector got some really bad press in October, with seventeen accidents claiming close on thirty deaths, making it the deadliest month for aviation in South Africa.

‘Killer October’ takes its toll

To put these incomparably high figures into perspective, only 8 accidents were recorded for the full twelve months of last year, but 2006 was regarded as one of the blackest years in aviation as there were over 50 accidents involving light aircrafts.

The Civil Aviation Authority has earmarked factors that are largely responsible for this frightening increase in flight fatalities, with pilot errors and gaping holes in training being the primary culprits. Other contributing factors are

• Poor pilot attitude – over-confidence being a major issue
• Pilots neglecting to take the weather into account
• Unnecessarily low flying
• Pilots having inadequate or no pre-flight training
• Aircraft overloading
• The flagrant disregard of standard or safe operational procedures

CAA seeks solutionsFortunately, all of these problem areas can be adequately addressed and the CAA is doing just that. A Central Aviation Strategic Initiative Committee has been set up with industry heavyweights to address and seek solutions for the high accident rate.

Their most recent offering is a DVD that clearly outlines the common mistakes made by crew that have resulted in accidents. The main aim of the committee is to furnish pilots with adequate skills and resources so that they are able to make the right decisions in an emergency.

Light, fixed-wing aircraft most vulnerable

What is interesting is that every single one of these accidents has taken place in light aircrafts. In fact, the last South African Airways casualty was the ill-fated Helderberg in November 1987. Prior to that only three other accidents were recorded

• April 1954 when a de Havilland Comet went down in the Mediterranean Sea
• March 1967 in East London, when a Vickers Viscount crashed
• April 1968 when a Boeing 707 went down near Windhoek Read the rest of this entry »