14/07/2025
SOMETHING IS A BUZZ OVER OUR CITY, MAKHANDA/GRAHAMSTOWN:
The following article was written by a human - me. It is followed by an AI research-related section in the post (titled: World-Class Aerobics over Makhanda).
When I heard the buzz over town last week, I did not give it much thought, annoyance-wise. Maybe because it did not annoy me. I fleetingly wondered what the airplane was doing on the northern edge of town. It sounded like a crop-spraying plane, but we all know what crops are growing that side of town. Potholes and plastics from a defunct tip, proudly produced by an incompetent Makana Municipal leaderlesship, don't need spraying!
So it was with great amusement that I noticed a few complaints filtering through on social media. It seems like some of the posts have since been removed, but I could be wrong as well. My new motto is let's debate issues (instead of let us argue about it). I was, however, grateful that an issue was made, because now I learnt something new, our little City can be proud of. Patrick Davidson, the Air Race X pilot, chose our piece of sky to come and hone his skills. He is an Eastern Cape boytjie, born and bred in Port Elizabeth, and is currently leading the race with the potential of becoming a world champion.
After the murmurs about their buzzing, Team 77 (under which flag Patrick flies) was kind enough to post their itinerary for us to be aware of which areas would be abuzz. The last flights were on Monday, 14 July 2025 at 10h00. So I did a quick detour via the airport on the way to the Makana Electricity Department.
Team 77. What a humble group of people! I was invited onto the airstrip to come and chat. They were very apologetic about inconveniencing the townsfolk. Come on, guys (and girls) ... we have a world-class performance on our doorstep. We should be embracing it.
I just want to thank Patrick Davidson, Egbert Gerryts, and the other two guys whose names elude me now, for their friendliness and hospitality. You guys rock and bring another World Trophy home to us!
The rest is written by AI. Follow the links for more in-depth information.
🚀 WORLD-CLASS AEROBATICS OVER MAKHANDA 🇿🇦
If you've heard the roar of engines or seen some jaw-dropping aerial manoeuvres above the Grahamstown Makhanda Aerodrome recently — you’re not dreaming!
Local hero Patrick Davidson and his crew, Team 77, have been training at full throttle for the AIR RACE X 2025 finals — a cutting-edge global motorsport where elite pilots fly real planes through virtual pylon racetracks, all powered by GPS, AI and AR/XR tech.
Flying at speeds of up to 400 km/h and experiencing G-forces as high as 12G, Davidson is making Makhanda proud — even posting the fastest time of the 2025 season in the qualifying rounds! 💪✈️
📺 Watch his high-speed qualifying run here:
👉 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlfCOucpz0w
📰 Get the full story, including interviews and behind-the-scenes insights:
👉 https://www.talkofthetown.co.za/2024/05/25/pilot-brings-world-class-racing-action-to-makhanda-skies_1/
🌐 More about AIR RACE X — the future of motorsport, born in Shibuya and now taking the skies worldwide:
👉 https://www.airracex.com
