Ferry pilot delivers 'new baby'

It was both a memorable occasion for world famous ferry pilot Magrit Walz and Pretoria-based pilot Chris Brand as they landed at Wonderboom Airport.

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It was both a memorable and auspicious occasion for world famous ferry pilot Magrit Walz and Pretoria-based pilot Chris Brand as they landed at Wonderboom Airport on Wednesday night.

Friends and family waited with bated breath for the TBM 700 plane that Walz and Brand were travelling in, to land on the runway before welcoming them with warm wishes and, of course, glasses of champagne.

Both Walz and Brand had a lot to celebrate. Walz,a world famous ferry pilot who has over 42 years of experience in the skies, was celebrating marking her 800th North Atlantic crossing.

The 59 year-old pilot works as a ferry pilot, delivering planes to new buyers.

This fight marked the 800th time she crossed the North Atlantic Ocean.

She said a lot had changed over her 800 crossings, from navigation, plane design, to technology. But she doesn’t know of anyone with more crossings than her.

“I don’t know if it’s a record. I don’t really keep track of that, but as far as I know, I have more than anyone else in the world,” Walz said.

Walz said she was once a television weather presenterin Germany, but her passion for flying was so strong she made it a career.

“It’s a passion, it’s love,” she said.

“Whenyou’re way up there, all these little problems you have on Earth you leave, at least temporarily, behind.”

Walz said her job took her all over the world and allowed her to meet great new people on nearly every continent.

Walz was delivering a TBM 700 plane from New York that Brand, a retired entrepreneur, had recently purchased, for a whopping R30 million.

Brand needed a ferry pilot to help him fetch his plane in New York. Initially, Brand had organised a ferry pilot, but due to other commitments, the initial ferry pilot had to pull out of the trip because of other commitments. So Brand had to find another ferry pilot:

And through a connection of his pilot friends, Brand was introduced to Walz .

Brand flew to New York to collect his new plane and fly it back with Walz. According to aviation law, and for insurance purposes, pilots must have more than 50 hours of flying time before they can fly alone.

“I had the pleasure of flying with Walz for 10 days,” said Brand.

They flew via Newfoundland, Canada, then to Iceland, before going to the UK.

From there, they flew to Lisbon and on to the Canary Islands, Mali, then Principe in the Gulf of Guinea.

And their journey ended at Wonderboom Airport on a rainy on Wednesday night.

He said that having spent days in the cockpit with Walz , he got to know her pretty well, and feels that the success of Walz is not based on her Atlantic crossings, long career, or her amassed flight hours.

“These results are merely fruit that gives good indication of the health of the fruit-bearing tree,” said Brand.

He said her personal character and the manner in which she carried herself in the aviation marketplace was nothing short of impressive.

“Walz simply exudes a passion for aviation and people who like air planes. There is no pretentiousness in her approach to her profession and no apologies for her unrelenting dedication to a lifestyle that few in this world would be able to endure, much less thrive in,” said Brand.

“She is a one-of-a-kind person in a few-of-a-kind career,” said Brand.

Both pilots got what they desperately needed.

Walz got her 800th crossing while Brand got his “new baby” as he refers to it, plus a couple more hours of flying experience.

sakhile.ndlazi@inl.co.za

Pretoria News Weekend