87 Helicopter Flying School is a unit of the South African Air Force. It is currently a helicopter flight training school.
- Motto: Docemus (We Teach)
- First formed: 1 January 1973
- Historic aircraft flown: Aérospatiale Alouette II, Aérospatiale Alouette III
- Current aircraft flown:Atlas Oryx, BK 117, A109
- Current base: AFB Bloemspruit, Bloemfontein (plus a satellite base at Dragon Peaks Mountain Resort, Drakensberg)
The Helicopter Conversion Unit was established at Ysterplaat on 1 February 1968 to fulfil the helicopter pilot and flight engineers training role. The present unit was formed on 9th April 1968 by redesignating Training Flight, 17 Squadron at AFB Ysterplaat. The unit, equipped with Alouette II and III's, took over responsible for Helicopter Conversion Training of SAAF pilots and training of Flight Engineers for the SAAF.
The Helicopter Conversion Unit became an autonomous unit in 1971 and in January 1973 the units name changed to 87 Advanced Flying School. In 1973 the Alouette II's were retired and transferred to the Rhodesian Air Force. "B" Flight, 16 Squadron, also stationed at AFB Ysterplaat, took responsibility for advanced helicopter training from 16 September 1974 to January 1975.
Famous quotes containing the words flying and/or school:
“Bonnie Lee: Oh, it’s the most wonderful thing I’ve ever seen.
Geoff Carter [sarcastically]: Yes, it reminded you of a great big, beautiful bird, didn’t it?
Bonnie: No, it didn’t at all. That’s why it’s so wonderful. It’s really a flying human being.
Geoff: Well, you’re right about one thing. A bird’d have too much sense to fly in that kind of muck.”
—Jules Furthman (1888–1960)
“The most powerful lessons about ethics and morality do not come from school discussions or classes in character building. They come from family life where people treat one another with respect, consideration, and love.”
—Neil Kurshan (20th century)