Article by Major L.H. Grobler and Photographs supplied by 22 Squadron Search and Rescue Coordinator
A request was forwarded to Air Force Base Ysterplaat to assist the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway Company with the cargo sling of equipment up Table Mountain.
Without this lift the company could not complete the planned cable change as part of their maintenance shutdown. This is of strategic importance for Table Mountain (one of the New Seven Wonders of nature) and access to the summit via the cableway, to the city of Cape Town and tourism in the Western Cape. The magnitude of work they have to undertake was last seen with the 1997 cableway upgrade.
The engineers of Table Mountain Aerial Cableway Company, have searched far and wide for commercial replacements and alternatives, but all efforts yielded no positive results. Several of their teams have also reached out to the Air Force, with all enquiries being referred to the Chief of the South African Air Force.
The SA Air Force Oryx helicopter will make light work of the lifting requirements. It is 9 lifts, with a maximum payload of 1.8 tons. All cargo is ready on Tafelberg Road.
On Friday 26 July 2024, 22 Squadron was tasked to assist with the cargo sling but due to weather, the tasking was cancelled. As the weather conditions improved, 22 Squadron was tasked on Tuesday 30 July 2024, to assist the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway Company with eight loads of equipment from Tafelberg Road to the top of the mountain.
The tasking was successfully executed.
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