According longstanding members, Clive Duffel, Alan Imrie, Lofty Henning, Ken Smith and Patrick Donavan, back in the 1970’s, a flying site was identified alongside the windmills next to the Indigenous nursery near the intersection of the road coming down from Red Hill and the road between Scarborough and Cape Point. This flying site was referred to as the Cape Point flying field and was established by Charlie Creda. Clive, Charlie, Ken Smith and later Patrick became regular flyers there and also jointly maintained the runway. Unfortunately, they were eventually moved off by Nature conservation in 2011, despite having been given approval by the then Head Park Ranger, Gerald Wright.
The following anecdotes were related by one of the original members:
1. “The flying field out at Cape Point was an awesome spot to fly, absolutely pristine with fynbos on all 4 sides, a little piece of heaven.
Watch out for puff adders though, you needed to stay sharp especially when mowing the lawn.
It was shown as a shooting range on the Simonstown Slingsby Map and was orientated so you could take off directly into the SE or NW wind.
There was a short section for SW winds.
Flying there was a treat and when you left after a couple of flips you had no more worries or cares, it was like you had been reborn.
Charlie and I spent many hours flying there, the best flying I’ve ever had.
I was still a noob and Charlie taught me the joy of straight and level flight.
My first flight at Cape Point was June 2000 and the last was in May 2011.
Good Times!!“
2. “I’ve always enjoyed flying on my own and in wind and I flew IC for many years on all sorts of fields all over the Peninsula.
My flying sessions were never longer than an hour, I’d have 3 flights at most, pack up and go home.
Never had any problems.
Lofty Henning and a few old chaps had the same modus operandi, mostly fly during the week too.
The Noordhoek sports fields (opposite the nursery) was one of my favourite flying fields and it was here I came across Lofty and his small crew once or twice.
There were never any problems with residents, horse riders etc.
Then I made a terrible mistake.
I was at the old hobby shop (off Gabriel Rd) buying fuel when some chap said he always saw me at the shop but never at the club and asked
“Where do you fly?” and that was the beginning of the end of flying at the Noordhoek sport fields.
Every Saturday morning this chap and his bunch would set up camp, deckchairs, cooler bags, umbrellas etc. and fly loud low-level acrobatics all morning.
Pretty soon we were on the lookout for a new field and Lofty found the present one.
We did fly ic too at the present field but that stopped when loud low-level acrobatics over the houses started happening.
I have it on good authority it was the same chap (older members may remember him)
And that is it, much like a surfer finding a secret wave, do you tell all your buddies??”
The Club as it is now, was very informal when we started.
FHRF was founded and registered with SAMAA in 2003 by Lofty Henning who lived in Sun Valley and subsequently moved to Pretoria and worked for SAMAA. Clive was also one of the first members flying I.C. until the noise problem arose.
The original newsletter and constitution can be seen here and the November edition here. This October 2004 edition depicts the flying area.