Rainer Frieboese Celebrates 50 Years In Aviation

If it is true that time flies when one is having fun, then for Rainer Frieboese of Wings and Tracks, builders of the Samba, Lambada and Flamingo range of aircraft his 50 years spent in aviation must have gone past in the wink of a eye.

Text and photographs by Willie Bodenstein

Pilots arrived from far and wide at Brits airfield. From as far away as Botswana, Lesotho and Cape Town to help Rainer celebrate his 50th year in aviation. Parked on the immaculate lawns fronting the Wings and Tracks’ hangars were scores of aircraft belonging to proud customers as well as other types owned by friends who visited for the weekend and who were entertained with typical German hospitality. I was honoured to be amongst those who were invited and witness first-hand the passion of the proud owners for their immaculate aircraft. Twenty-seven aircraft including two Casa 1.131-Es (Spanish built Bucker Jungmans) took to the air and flew a salute in honour of Rainer who must surely be one of South Africa’s most prolific and successful builders of aircraft. What a proud moment it must have been for Rainer as he sat draped in a cloak and with a crown on his head to see his handiwork displayed in such splendid fashion.

Born in Bromberg, Germany in 1942 Rainer undertook a three-year apprenticeship in mechanics whilst studying mechanical engineering and successfully obtained his degree as a mechanical engineer. Strangely and quite in contrast to what he does today he did not work in the aviation industry, but having obtained his PPL was an avid pilot owning shares in a number of aircraft, his favourite being a Siai Marchetti. Later Rainer also

was the proud owner of a Beech Musketeer. He has not flown commercially, but flew purely for pleasure and being an explorer at heart the freedom of flight allowed him to explore new countries and foreign cultures.

In the sixties, using only roadmaps, he flew from his native Germany via France, Spain and the Straight of Gibraltar into Morocco. His wanderlust took him island hopping in the Mediterranean Sea, Italy and again, maybe as a precursor of things to follow, to Tunisia in North Africa. He explored the Greek Islands, England, Ireland and the Scandinavian Countries right up to the Northern Cape and Finland. It was in Finland where he became hooked on flying seaplanes and in the Baltic Sea he obtained his seaplane rating flying a Lake Buccaneer. It was a passion that must have remained with him for now, all those years later, a Seagle Amphibian, in which he holds shares, was proudly displayed outside the main Wings and Tracks’ hangar.

In 1985 Rainer bravely set out on his own in his trusted Willy’s Jeep on a six-week long journey of discovery and exploration in Algeria and the Sahara desert not knowing that the journey would lead to something totally unexpected. Upon his return he presented a slide show of his travels in Munich where a young lady named Barbara literally bombarded him with questions. Three weeks later the two of them attended an exhibition in Munich’s Ethnology Museum and the rest, as they say, is history.

In the seventies Rainer worked in the USA and utilised his free time in the air discovering as much as he could of that vast continent. In later years and on subsequent visits he and Barbara returned to the USA several times on flying adventures with tents and backpacks and probably saw more of the country than the average American ever will.

Rainer’s other great love is gliding which in his opinion is the ‘alpha and omega’ of aviation. Those that know Rainer know that he is man of few words. However, if you want him to talk all night long, ask him about soaring with the eagles in the thermals on the foot of Mount Kenya. Rainer is not just a builder of aircraft, but also has a valid Aero Club display pilot’s rating for the Samba, Samba XL, Lambada and Flamingo and has frequently taken part in the President’s Trophy Air Race. In race number 22 Rainer and Hans Schwebel flying a Samba were the winners of the small aircraft category. His displays at most airshows in the Lambada, Samba or lately mostly the Flamingo are always gracefully executed showing the aircraft off to perfection.

After crisscrossing Africa for ten years in their motor home Rainer and Barbara settled in Brits and it was there that Wings and Tracks was born. Once just another little country airfield it today is a landmark with new hangars being added on a regular basis. At the time of writing 20 Lambadas, 20 Sambas, 28 Samba XLs and 8 Flamingos have been delivered to a growing base of satisfied customers. Germany’s loss is surely our gain as Rainer must also be honoured for the contribution he and not forgetting Barbara, have made in promoting General Aviation in South Africa.