Some smart young people from as far afield as Cape Town and Johannesburg have landed in the Eastern Cape to make Fort Beaufort their home for a few years.
Some smart young people from as far afield as Cape Town and Johannesburg have landed in the Eastern Cape to make Fort Beaufort their home for a few years. They're in the small farming town for something you can't get anywhere else in Africa or Europe: a school where you can get both your matric and a pilot's licence.
Wings Aviation Academy opened its doors to students in January and now caters for 18 boys and a girl, from Grade 8 to Grade 11. The school and hostel were established by Andre Verster, a specialist in metaphysical science and Elaine Verster, a counselling psychologist.
The Versters make use of the online programme Brainline, which allows students to plan and structure their own work.
“Working online and structuring your own work requires a lot of discipline, especially for the Grade 8 learners. Flying also requires a lot of discipline, so ultimately it all works out as a holistic system,” says Elaine.
They try to expose the pupils to as much of the aviation industry as possible. At the moment the pupils are building life-sized models of planes, in order to understand the mechanical side of aviation.
The Academy has students from Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Johannesburg and Fort Beaufort. A renovated house serves as classroom and hostel.
Big rooms have been converted into dormitories and pupils can relax in a spacious lounge. There's even a gym where the pupils can work out.
“We have a gym because a lot of the kids don’t play team sports due to the risk of injury,” explains Elaine.
The gym is open to the public and the money that they get from the gym goes to sponsor one aviation student.
The Versters themselves fully sponsor three students.
“It's not because of the money. We love aviation. It’s our passion, otherwise it would not work,” says Elaine.
Other than those who are sponsored, the students must do their own fundraising for their flying.
Currently they all get their flying practice in Grahamstown – but the Versters want to get permission to fly from Fort Beaufort because the flying conditions are much better there. Andre recently bought and revamped a two-seater Whisper Motor Glider.
The only girl pupil, Louwra Nel, joined the Wings Aviation Academy in June after sending a letter of motivation to the SAflyer magazine. It elicited a huge response, securing her several sponsors.
“I enjoy the school very much,” says Nel. “Being here has taught me that if you don’t believe in yourself and just sit and do nothing, you would not be able to achieve anything.”
