BACKGROUND
Solowings is the leading microlight manufacturer in Southern Africa and has been filling the sky with microlights for over 3 decades.
Solowings is part of the history of microlight flying in South Africa and this was due to the late founder, Aidan de Gersigny, who in 1975, had a dream to fly… he went on to successfully build and design the very popular Windlass and AQUILLA microlight trikes.
Named Best Microlight of the year in 2013, we have manufactured over 1200 microlights and have been in the industry for over 4 decades
The new owners of Solowings are all involved actively in the trike and aviation industry and have been flying AQUILLA trikes commercially and privately for over 30 years in some instances.
The late Steve Roe was one of South Africa’s first trike pioneers having been involved since the early days in the ‘70’s. Steve was also involved with Mike Blythe and Rainbow Aircraft manufacturing trikes. Steve competed in the World Trike Champs and was an excellent pilot and instructor, looked up to by all due to his nature and his sheer experience.
Rob and Ant Weaver are both commercial crop sprayers on the KZN North Coast. Rob was the first person to successfully crop spray with trikes and for over the last 19 years, together with Aidan de Gersigny and Rob’s own perseverance to operate a successful crop spraying has evolved and developed a trike capable of performing under crop spraying requirements and conditions. Collectively Rob and Ant have over 10 000 hours of crop spraying experience.
Craig Couzens has taken over the Wing Department of Solowings and is based in the Westmead (KZN) area. Craig has over 3000 hours in AQUILLA trikes, having started on the original Windlass.
The undercarriage department is based in Ballito and we have improved systems and streamlined operations in order to produce a trike of the highest quality without compromising on safety and reliability.
With the new team in place we are focused in keeping the spirit of the adventurous men who created our company… with an eye to meeting the latest market developments and needs.
VERSATILITY AND CONVENIENCE
Park in your garage, wheel it onto your customized trailer and drive off to the airstrip, or take it with you on your holiday. Trailered or hangered, either way, you’re set up and in the air within 30 minutes. How else can you put the fun back into flying without the high running costs?
And if you feel the need to justify your fun, here are a few commercial applications that are being put into practice:
- Crop spraying – Very Successful and Economical.
- Tourism – Lots of fun! What a way to see the sites.
- Farming and ranching – 2 days of bundu bashing can be done in 2 hours.
- Law enforcement – Poaching Control, your “Spy in the Sky”.
- Game spotting and counting – The outstanding visibility and low flying speed make it a winner in this field.