EAA Chapter 322 Bi-Monthly Meeting with Larry Beamish
By Willie Bodenstein
08.02.2026
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Saturday, 7 February - I left early for what I anticipated would be a full house for Chapter 322's second monthly meeting at the auditorium at the historic Rand Airport.
Accompanying me was long-time friend and past president of the South African Air Force Association, Leon du Plessis. It was a perfect summer's morning when we arrived. Breakfast buns were available at R50 for members and R65 for non-members, with steaming coffee and cold refreshments completing the fare.
Chapter 322 Cahirman Paul Lastrucci, Vice Chair, Marie Reddy & Karl Jensen PR and More
Landing fees for members who flew in and RSVP'd were waived, and it was great to see three of Krugersdorp-based Chapter 973's Piper Cruisers on the apron, along with several other visiting aircraft.
However, the real buzz of the day was the much-anticipated talk by aviation legend Larry Beamish.
Larry Beamish - Raconteur, Pilot Supreme & Wonderful, Modest Human Being
With more than 26,300 flying hours and type ratings on 143 aircraft, Larry Beamish is a true aviation raconteur. His storytelling, peppered with humour and heartfelt moments, had the audience alternating between laughter and awe. Larry shared anecdotes from his long and colourful career-ferrying aircraft across continents, meeting extraordinary people from all over the world, and always flying by his motto: “Be safe and have fun.”
His meticulous planning and attention to detail served him well during countless ferry flights, many of which took him over vast stretches of unforgiving ocean in less-than-ideal conditions.
One of Larry's most memorable tales was what he called his “dumbest flight”-a ferry mission that turned into an incredible story. He had agreed to ferry Nigel Hopkins' brand-new MX2 from the USA to France, where Nigel would compete in the World Aerobatic Championships. The MX2, designed purely as an aerobatic aircraft, was far from ideal for long-distance ferrying. It had minimal range, no proper instruments, and was utterly unsuited to the freezing skies and unpredictable weather he'd face en route.
With auxiliary fuel tanks and a few improvised instruments installed, Larry set off. Somewhere along the way-half frozen-he landed to refuel and found two discarded black rubbish bags, which he promptly used to cover his legs for warmth.
Against all odds, he completed the flight and delivered the MX2 safely to France. But fate had another twist in store. While practising for the championships, Nigel's aircraft suffered a catastrophic failure-the wing came off, and the engine separated from the fuselage. Miraculously, Nigel bailed out and landed safely.
Months later, during Oktoberfest in Germany, Nigel found himself sitting next to a local gentleman who, upon learning that he was an aerobatic pilot, mentioned that a friend of his had recently built an aerobatic aircraft using the front and rear fuselages of two different aircraft-one of which had crashed in a cornfield in France.
You guessed it-the fuselage was from Nigel's MX2. Not only did Larry and the aircraft survive that daring ferry flight, and Nigel survive the crash, but part of the MX2 took to the skies again!
What a wonderful morning it was-and what a privilege it always is to spend time among aviators of such spirit, humour, and humility. Chapter 322 meetings truly remain the heart and soul of South African general aviation.
MX2 A2A Shoot 557
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