jonker sailplanes

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FlyingNorth West province,

Jonker Sailplanes is manufacturing the first type-certified aircraft ever made on the continent. Here, CEO

tells us where the company is headed next.

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HighFlying

HighFlying

HighBased in South Africa’s

North West province,

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Aerospace

and funding together to enable them to design and manufacture a high-performance glider.

“We were successful, too. At this stage, our aircraft is regarded in two classes as being the best sailplane in the world. We’re now exporting a huge number into Europe, even to Germany — so I guess it must be good,” he says.

“My dad’s � own in it. It was quite emotional. He’s slowed down a little bit with aviation, but he’s still � ying. He’s very proud of what we have achieved.”

Built of glass-� bre, carbon � bre and Kevlar, the JS-1 glider saw its � rst � ight in December 2006 and, four years later, received its Type Certi� cation. The 18m-wingspan version glider has a maximum

Since childhood, aviation has been a constant in the lives of the Jonker brothers.

“We � rst got involved with aviation thanks to

our dad, who was constructing his own sailplane when we were young boys. He was a schoolteacher, and he didn’t have the funds to buy himself a modern sailplane so he ordered some plans from the US and was building his own glider from scratch,” says Jonker.

“We were inspired to see that you can actually make things yourself. The German sailplanes were expensive, so we thought that we should try making the best sailplane someday. So there was this dream in the back of our minds that maybe we should consider constructing our own aircraft.”

Uys and Attie Jonker studied engineering at university, and after � nishing their studies, set to work on getting development

When you put the top aircraft in the hands of the best pilots, you tend to get the best results

AerospaceAerospaceAerospace

Since childhood, aviation has been a constant in the lives of the Jonker brothers.

“We � rst got involved with aviation thanks to

our dad, who was constructing his own sailplane when we were young boys. He was a schoolteacher, and he didn’t have the funds to buy himself a modern sailplane so he ordered some plans from the US and was building his own glider from scratch,” says Jonker.

“We were inspired to see that you can actually make things yourself. The German sailplanes were expensive, so we thought that we should try making the best sailplane someday. So there was this dream in the back


speed of 290km/h and a gross weight of 600kg, while its bigger brother, the JS1-C 21m, has a gross weight of 720kg.

Achieving Type Certi� cation is a long and complicated process. Aircrafts must comply with speci� c design standards and then demonstrate their compliance to the authorities. The JS-1 is the � rst aircraft in Africa to have achieved this certi� cate, based on modern certi� cation standards.

“It’s quite an expensive process as you have to go through many tests, so it’s a lot of work. The certi� cation is not so di� icult if your aircraft complies to the standard — but it can become really complex when it doesn’t comply,” explains Jonker.

There was this dream in the back of our minds that maybe we should consider constructing our own aircraft

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flight instruments are used all over the world.


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“Fortunately, we didn’t have to make too many changes. Currently demonstration of the certi� cation is done in Europe. This project introduced a few additional challenges, as the design standard was recently amended requiring higher loads for crash worthiness. Because we are a new applicant in Europe, we have to use the latest certi� cation standard, and we had to modify the structure accordingly.”

“Demonstrating crashworthiness is expensive. You have to build cockpits and destroy them, possibly several times, which adds up,” admits Jonker.

Certi� cation can be a frustrating process that can take many years — the aviation authorities are frequently overloaded,


turnaround time for feedback on certi� cation documents can be quite slow. Jonker suggests that this is not just the case in South Africa, but worldwide.

Despite this, Jonker Sailplanes has not been deterred. The JS-1 has been met with an enthusiastic reception, receiving praise worldwide. In the Open Class of the 2015 European Gliding Championships, the JS-1 won seven out of the top ten positions, including the top four places.

“For the � rst time on European soil, aircraft from a non-European region dominated the class completely,” he tells us.

And, in the UK Open Class Nationals a week later, the � rst seven positions were also occupied by JS-1 aircraft.

“Our mission is to attract the top pilots. To convince these people that your aircraft is the best, it has to be the best. And when you put the top aircraft in the hands of the best pilots, you tend to get the best results.”

In the Open Class of the 2015 European Gliding Championships, the JS-1 won seven out of the top ten positions, including the top four places


Aerospace

CUSTOMS CONSULTANCY & INTERNATIONAL LOGISTICSSERVICES OFFERED:SHIPPING CONSULTANCY

INTERNATIONAL DOOR TO DOOR LOGISTICSCUSTOMS TARIFF APPLICATIONS

IMPORT & EXPORT PERMIT REQUIREMENT & APPLICATIONSSYSTEM CONTROLS & PROCEDURES AT CUSTOMER LEVEL

MARINE INSURANCE / RISK MANAGEMENTAD-HOC CLEARANCES

CUSTOMS CLEARANCESACCESS LOWER DUTY OPPORTUNITIES

REBATES & REFUNDSBONDED WAREHOUSING APPLICATIONS

STAGED CONSIGNMENT RULINGSDOOR TO DOOR LOGISTICS

MOVEMENT & CLEARANCES OF REMOVAL GOODSTRADE & INDUSTRY MATTERS

Contacts: Gordon Cook | Elisha Mudra | Shaista Cook E-mail: [email protected] | [email protected] | [email protected]

Tel: + 27 (0)11 892 5945 | +27 (0)11 892 3434 Mobile: +27 (0)82 880 2463 Address: 86 First Street, Boksburg North, 1459 – Gauteng – South Africa

“BEELOGIX is a proud logistics partner to Jonker Sailplanes S.A. and wishes them well in all their endeavours’’

Learning from its certi� cation challenges, and fuelled by its on-going success, Jonker Sailplanes is tackling its next projects with great enthusiasm.

“We are busy with two new product lines. One is a self-launching sailplane, which we plan to release next year. The second project is a little more con� dential — and quite close to our heart — and it’s a new product line that we will be entering, but still in the sailplanes market. This will use modern, state-of-the-art manufacturing techniques. We believe our next products will even be more special than the JS-1,” he tells us.

A positive attitude and dedication to realising a dream should see the company glide smoothly into its second decade.

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Jonker Sailplanes Hangar 23 C/O Tiger Moth Street/Bosbok Str. Potchefstroom,2520 South Africa

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