SAAF - WSAR :: Table Mountain :: 10 October 2006

All was going pretty well until the winch cable stuck - I didn't get any photos of this since I was on the end of it at the time.
The weather was coming in fast in any case, which provided a very scenic flight home...

Tumbleworms: Endemic to Ysterplaat AFB, these unique hairy catapillars are adrenalin junkies that spend their lives hanging out on the apron waiting for the big fans that provide them with the huge thrill of being spun at high speed along the ground until they get out of reach of the downwash, whereafter they can begin inching thier way back for the next fix.

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Tumbleworm after getting a fix...

1

Brent getting intimate with a tumbleworm

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Brent smiling (not Photoshopped, I swear!)

3

View of houses and Simonsberg mountain through open doors of Oryx helicopter

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Aerial view of clouds over the back of Table Mountain with Grootkop in the foreground, Constantiaberg, Kalk Bay mountains and Swartkop in the distance.

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Brent being hoisted out of a helicopter onto a rocky peak on the back table, two rescuers on the ground, huts and Woodhead Dam in distance

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Oryx helicopter flying over the back table

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Oryx helicopter flying over the back table, rescuers on a rocky peak below, huts and Woodhead Dam in background

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Rik being hoisted out of an Oryx helicopter onto the back table

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Oryx helicopter on the ground in the fynbos vegetation of the back table, with rescuers standing around it

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Oryx helicopter on the ground in the fynbos vegetation of the back table, with rescuers standing around it

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A ray of sunlight illuminates a cottage (the water ranger's house) on a hill overlooking the Woodhead Dam on Table Mountain, while tendrils of mist sweep up the slopes towards the hut

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Aerial view of the upper cable station on the edge of the cliffs, sticking out above thick cloud surrounding the mountain, view North towards Bloubergstrand

13

Andrew clucting on to the hoist cable after the winch failed...

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Tumbleworms - endemic to Ysterplaat AFB, these hairy catapillars spend their lives hanging out on the apron waiting for the big fans which provides them with the huge thrill of being spun at high speed along the ground until they get out of reach of the downwash, afterwhich they inch thier way back for the next fix.

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Flight engineer Kenny George)

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Images are not for commercial use.
If you are or were on any of the teams and would like prints or wish to make use any of these photos, please drop me an email.