Bat Hawk | The Family Business that really took off

When Andrew Pappas came up with the idea of building his own line of aircraft, he was unsure of the feasibility of such a bold idea. It didn’t take very long though for the Bat Hawk to take off and orders to start rolling in.

The Pappas men: Andrew, Donovan, Terry, Kuen and Will and Dylon in front.

All three Andrew’s sons also fly and it is no rarity for the four of them to each arrive in their own plane at Bagdad Centre in White River to have breakfast. “I don’t think there are many families who go out like we do,” laughs Terry, the youngest.

Two of the brothers work at Bat Hawk and if things go to plan the third will be joining shortly. Flying could truly be said to flow in Andrew’s blood and he currently holds one of the oldest pilot’s licences in the Lowveld which was issued by the Union of South Africa on 1 March 1966.

Back in the day Andrew used to fly big planes but when he discovered the convenience, practicality and pure fun smaller aircraft offer, there was no turning back. Now he flies what is known as short take-off and landing planes, or STOLs for short.
Planes that fall in this category need to be able to climb over a 50ft obstacle within a 1500ft runway.

In 2003 Andrew started his company and built Bantam aircraft that were imported from New Zealand. Unfortunately the owner of Micro Aviation, the holding company for Bantam, passed away and Andrew was unable to buy it. So he got the idea of building his own while at the same time improving on some of the Bantam’s shortfalls.

So he set off to build a factory that could manufacture these air crafts from scratch and started by putting together a prototype. After a lot of rigorous testing and demonstrating, it was clear from the opinions of everyone who saw it that there was definitely a demand.

At at the beginning of 2013 production started and half way through the year there were already 17 orders. “To date we have manufactured 37 and orders are still coming in,” says Andrew. And apart from building new planes they also have permission from the civil aviation authorities to use their components on Bantams as they are interchangeable. “Luckily in this way we can help Bantam owners who need parts, since the original factory in New Zealand has to date not yet commenced production,” says Terry.

According to Terry it is extremely beneficial to produce the planes locally and it absolutely makes sense. “Most of the aluminium used in aircraft manufacturing is produced in South Africa and is readily available. One of the best aircraft instrument manufacturers is also based in Cape Town. We try to use as much local material as possible but unfortunately the engine, which is the single most expensive component on the plane, has to be imported from Australia,” he explains.

The main difference

One of the biggest improvements from the Bantam is the all up weight capacity of the Bat Hawk. The Bantam totaled a maximum of 450kg while the Bat Hawk takes care of 540kg. This is not just a good thing since South Africans are usually rather big people, but it also enables the Bat Hawk to be fitted with extras that wasn’t possible with the Bantam.

Secondly the Bat Hawk is also able to fly 15 knots faster than the Bantam. This was accomplished by making the frame more ridged as a frame that is slightly twisted by the engine forces creates more drag.

The under carriage was also redesigned and made more rugged so it can land in harsher conditions and withstand more. “We have planes flying right across the southern part of the continent in some of the most remote and intolerable conditions imaginable. So they have to be strong and reliable,” says Terry.

Bat Hawk has also supplied four planes to Kruger National Park and will be supplying another two this year to assist with conservation and more specifically rhino poaching.

The Bat Hawk is also available fitted with crop sprayers. This version is fast becoming very popular in agriculture as it is an affordable option that works very well since it is so agile and manoeuvrable.

Last but not least, “It is a great load of fun to fly. It really gives you that feeling of freedom,” Terry enthuses.

Want to fly?

According to terry the first thing you need to do when considering to become a pilot is to do the required medical examination. You will need to do this for licence anyway so establishing whether you are medically fit is a good starting point.

As for other abilities, he feels that flying one of these small planes is something most people would be able to master. “Taking off and landing requires some skill and practice but flying is rather easy.”

Terry also feels that the ideal recreational pilot is someone with a sense of adventure. “It’s almost like owning a sports car, you don’t really need it but the feeling you get from it makes it worth your while.”

Talk to us

Doing your licence will cost about R30 000 if you own an aircraft and about R40 000 if you use the school’s.
For more information about the Bat Hawk visit their website by clicking here.

Here are some aerial photographs of the Crocodile River in flood taken out of Andrew Pappas’ Bat Hawk.