Groblersdal - Vliegklub

Groblersdal airfield is owned by the local town council, but the airfield and club facilities are maintained by the local Flying Club which has about 40 members. The airfield is surrounded by a golf course on its western side, a sports facility on its eastern side, a national road on the northern side and a privately owned farm to the south. Several of the members have runways on their farms, but

they get together periodically over weekends when they fly to the main airfield. Groblersdal Flying Club was founded early in the 1960‘s (exact year unknown) by Neels Pretorius, a retired SAAF pilot who not only flew Spitfires, but also flew some of the very first De Havilland Vampire’s that were delivered to the SAAF in 1951 to replace the much-loved Spitfire. In the early 1960’s, one of the first things Neels did at Groblersdal was to call a few guys together and told them that they must build an airfield and start a Flying Club. Potgieter as instructor of the Groblersdal Flying Club. H.U.B. Potgieter was an extraordinary man in his own right, reaching the rank of General in the SADF. Hub as he was known to his friends was horrified at the news of Kobus de Villiers death in a flying accident in his Cessna 182 near Dennilton one night returning after watching a rugby match at Loftes. Kobus was Hubs first pupil to qualify and now the Groblersdal flying club carries his name.