Application to expand Leppan Airfield

GEORGE NEWS - The owner of the rural airfield on Mandalay Farm, Peter Leppan of Leppan Farming Pty Ltd, has applied to George Municipality to extend the runway and add hangars to his longstanding facilities.

Speaking to George Herald last week, Leppan, a flying enthusiast, shared his excitement about the proposed expansion. He says there is a growing demand among light aircraft owners for flight training facilities in the area.

He proposes to extend the runway (currently 850m) to 1 075m, build at least five new hangars, and extend his existing hangar.

According to the application documents, aircraft flown from here are microlights, gyrocopters and fixed-wing planes. Training for pilots of all three types of craft is done here.

The application is for upgrading the facilities, but also to get the airfield authorised under the latest George zoning scheme by-law.

The former Section 8 Zoning Scheme Regulations considered an airfield as part of the agricultural environment and did not address it specifically on properties zoned Agriculture Zone I.

The applicant is proposing a rezoning of about 700m² of the property for the flight school to Community Zone 1.

The application states that the Woodville area has had an airfield for more than 60 years, used primarily for crop spraying which is now limited due to changes in agricultural methods.

In its current location, the airfield (after moving twice from adjacent properties) has been in use since the early 1990s.

Leppan said people making use of the airfield include professionals who have migrated from other parts of the country to settle their families here. They regularly commute by private plane for work and business.

"I am loving having all the pilots here on a regular basis, because we share the same interest. Some enthusiasts are stuck at the airport where they play second fiddle because the primary focus there is on commercial airlines. They are looking for an airfield where they can be properly accommodated. Microlights are also not encouraged at the airport and training for microlight pilots is disallowed, as it is at any other major airport."

Tourists flying in, and skydiving on the cards

In the motivation for the application, being handled by town planner Marlize de Bruyn, it is mentioned that the airfield not only brings South Africans to the area, but also many people from abroad.

Tourists flying in with their private planes park their aircraft here and then stay at guest farms or other guest facilities in the Southern Cape. It is foreseen that skydiving could be provided in the future. This would complement paragliding, which is a well-established sport in the area.

The airfield is registered with the South African Civil Aviation Authority (Sacaa) to provide training. It is used by pilots in training from George Airport as a safe space for forced landing exercises and it is the only airfield in the Western Cape where training for microlights takes place.

The Bateleurs, a group of volunteers who help protect the environment with their aircraft, also make use of the airfield.

It is located among the vegetable fields of Mandalay Farm and is also used for access to and from these fields.

Representatives from Woolworths who come for inspections from time to time, use the airfield. Leppan Farming supplies Woolworths, Shoprite Group, Spar and Pick n Pay and is the only exporter of brussels sprouts from South Africa, supplying Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury's, Tesco and Morrisons in the UK.

Leppan Airfield from the sky.