Tributes pour in for lowveld aviator legend
MBOMBELA - The Lowveld bade farewell to well-known and loved chopper pilot, Josias Petrus Albertus Reyneke, fondly called Bertus by all who knew him.
Bertus passed away recently at the age of 82 following a battle with an illness.
Fellow aviator, helicopter pilot and close friend to Bertus, Mike Pingo, said Bertus was unique and a true professional in all walks of life, but especially as a pilot.
“A mentor to all the new, younger generation of helicopter pilots to come through the Lowveld and a true friend to all who met him,” said Pingo.
“He was a great storyteller, a great joke teller and was true to his profession as a helicopter pilot, always focusing on safety and good airmanship.”
Pingo said Bertus was a willing pilot, ready to fly at any time and really enjoying his craft.
“It was a pleasure to have known Bertus as a pilot and as a man, always smiling, laughing and generally enjoying life. A great loss to the flying community in the
Lowveld.”
The Lowveld Enduro Club’s Kym Hodgskin said Bertus had been flying since his early 20s and had accumulated just shy of 20 000 hours in the sky.
Bertus was a pilot with the South African Air Force from 1963 to 1967 and was then a pilot for Suidwes Lugdiens (Air Namibia) from 1968 until 1980.
In 1980, he began working for the South West Africa Water and Electricity Corporation until 1990 and then started flying with Court Helicopters from
1991 until 1994.
“He was always willing to help and fly when needed, always smiling. He was a darling of a man with a kind heart and a gentle soul,” said Hodgskin.
“He worked for Seasons in Africa as a pilot. Seasons in Africa is a sponsor of
‘A mentor to all the new, younger generation of helicopter pilots to come through the Lowveld and a true friend to all’
the club and Bertus was the pilot who would fly the helicopter to our events and be there in case we needed to fly the film crew around, or fly a rider out or take someone up to let them see things from the air.
“What I will miss most is the phone call before the race to check where the best place to land was, and that friendly smile on the morning of the race, just letting you know he was there when you needed him.”