WAC 2011 Pilots:
 |
 |
 |
|---|---|---|
Mark Hensman |
Nigel Hopkins |
Mark Sampson |
Together Mark Hensman, Nigel Hopkins and Mark Sampson won the silver medal for Team South Africa at AWAC 2010 in Poland.
Mark Hensman
Mark is an Airline Training Captain on the Boeing 747. He has over 15,000 hours total flying time with 18 years of aerobatic experience. He is the South African Unlimited Aerobatic Champion and the lead pilot for Team Xtreme.
Mark competed at the first Advanced World Aerobatic Championships (AWAC) 1995, held in South Africa, where he was ranked 17th. At AWAC 2008 he was on the South African team to win the silver medal in America. At AWAC 2010 in Poland, he achieved 6th place at the largest aerobatic contest ever held, once again helping to win the Silver medal for team South Africa. He has been the South African aerobatic champion at both advanced and unlimited level.
Nigel Hopkins
Nigel is an Airline Training Captain with SAA flying the Boeing 737-800. He is the Chairman of the SA Aerobatic club. Nigel ranked 2nd overall at the Advanced World Aerobatic Competition (AWAC) 2010, Poland. Formation
Aerobatic achievements:
- 2nd South African Aerobatic Advanced Championships 2007
- 3rd South African Aerobatic Advanced Championships 2008
- 8th Advanced World Aerobatic Championships 2008, USA.
- 2nd South African Unlimited Aerobatic Championships 2009
- 2nd Grand Aero Challenge, Hungary.
- 2nd Overall AWAC 2010, Poland. 1st Known and Free Programs.
- 2nd South African Advanced Aerobatic Championships 2010
- 1st Grand Aero Challenge 2010, Hungary
- 2nd Aero GP 2010, Al Ain UAE
Mark Sampson
Mark is an Airline pilot for Cathay Pacific, based in Hong Kong. He is a senior First Officer flying the Boeing 747-400 and has 8,500 total flying hours. He is 42 yrs old.
Mark started flying in the South African Airforce at age 24. He trained on the Harvard T6, then moved to helicopters to fly the Alouette III and Super Puma in maritime, fire fighting and mountain rescue roles. He completed 7 years service and attained the rank of Captain. He still flies helicopters commercially in Cape Town for sight seeing charter companies.
In 1998 Mark moved to a career in the airlines and flew the DC9, MD80, and Boeing 737-200 in South Africa. In 2001 he joined Cathay Pacific Airways, Hong Kong, where he has flown the Boeing 777 and the Boeing 747-400 as a First Officer.
Mark competes on the South African Aerobatic Team. In 2010 he was placed 11th at the Advanced World Aerobatic Championships 2010 in Poland.
Mark also enjoys photography, movie editing and web design.
