Legendary pilot tilts his wings at scribing

“I never set out to achieve things or make a name for myself. Whatever happened, happened by good fortune,” says Captain Selwyn “Scully” Levin, whose name is synonymous with flying in South Africa.

This legend has blazed a trail across the aviation industry as a commercial and show pilot in an astonishing career spanning 56 years.

“I’m a very enthusiastic guy who makes things happen, and when I rushed ahead and did things, I sometimes created a vortex behind me,” Levin says.

Now retired, the 74-year-old flying ace has penned Punching Holes in the Sky, a collection of anecdotes drawn from his years as an aerobatic pilot.

“My daughter, Hayley, is in the media business,” Levin told the SA Jewish Report. “I had done a fair amount of writing for some aviation publications she had put out, and she said I should write my own story.

“I wrote my memoirs and realised that no one would be interested in my life story besides my family, so I put it aside for my kids and grandkids who may read it one day. I changed tack, and reorientated the book towards my air show career instead.”

Levin qualified as a pilot in the South African Air Force in 1964, inspired by the example of his father, also an accomplished pilot.

“All I ever really wanted to do was become a pilot,” says Levin. “My dad bought an old plane for me to play in as a child. He had an enthusiasm for aviation which was catching, and he has always been a hero in my life.

“Another hero was Dr Max Muscat from Vryburg, a flying dentist who would go all over, fixing people’s teeth in really out-of-the-way places across the country. He’d land on the side of the road, farmers would come, and they would have their teeth attended to.

“He and my dad were pals at university, and because he flew and was a dentist, I wanted to be one too. I thought I would be a flying dentist like him.”

However, after completing three years of service in the airforce, Levin joined the ranks of South African Airways (SAA), and became a commercial pilot.

“I couldn’t believe my luck,” he says. “I’d sit in the cockpit and pinch myself because I couldn’t accept that it was true. Up until very recently, I’ve been pinching myself every day.”

Levin progressed rapidly, becoming a flying instructor for the airline, and later holding positions in flight operations management. However, he wanted to do more.

“I loved it,” he says, “but it wasn’t quite enough, hence the aerobatics flying. I competed in and won a few championships and started the aerobatic team. Later, I found myself doing demonstration flights for SAA at air shows. What could be better than that?”

Levin even performed in the United Kingdom (UK), making a name for South African aviation in a country which takes flying very seriously.

“The British are far more air minded than any other nation,” he says. “England hung by a thread when Germany wanted to invade, and everybody owed the Royal Air Force a debt of gratitude for what it did.

“The British are air-crazy, with air shows drawing 90 000 people. We arrived with a Boeing 747 and did what other display pilots had never done, showing a monstrous airplane, and we won the award for the best display. We stole the show.”

Levin scored a win for South Africa again in Reno, Nevada, in the United States (US) when he flew in the national air races.

He recalls, “I arrived in my veldskoene, rugby shorts, and t-shirt. The Americans didn’t take me seriously, saying I’d probably need a lot of help and I should ask if I was unsure. I thanked them, and who came first? I did.”

These were some of Levin’s memories when putting his book together, giving readers a sense of the thrill of taking to the skies.

“There are so many followers of air shows in South Africa, no matter where you go,” he says. “Our shows are smaller compared to those in the US and UK, but they have a hell of a following.

“I figured that people would enjoy the opportunity to understand what it’s really like. I decided I’d take them into the cockpit and show them what it’s like through writing this book.”

There were also highlights in his career that didn’t make it into the book, Levin says.

“I realised only afterwards that I had forgotten certain things and really should have included them,” he laughs. “I flew in 56 movies, and forgot to put them in. I met people like Sylvester Stallone, Sharon Stone, and Herbert Lom, and did a lot of work doing stunt flying.”

Nonetheless, the book has given Levin the opportunity to reconnect with many people and establish new friendships.

“As I went along, I remembered certain people, how they had helped me, how good they had been to me, and sent books to them because of what they had done for me.

“I’ve also heard a lot from people who have read it, especially pilots. I sent a batch of books to Israel with a friend and suddenly, one guy who had been a top pilot in the Israeli Air Force and with El Al wrote to me to say he couldn’t put my book down. It makes me feel good.”

Levin also reconnected with his father through the book.

“Every time there was cause to mention my dad, I had a tear in my eye thinking about him,” he says. “Nothing will bring him back, but I dedicated the book to him. I wrote a lot about him, and my wife proofread it and reminded me that it wasn’t a book about my dad, but about flying.

“Still, the book helped me get in touch with him again.”

Although he believes readers need a slight knowledge of aviation to really appreciate the book, Levin feels that almost anyone will enjoy reading it.

“When it became a little technical, my wife struggled a bit with it,” he laughs. “But she has no problem reading a recipe or knitting pattern, and things like that baffle me.

“I hope that my book gives aspirant fliers the message that if they want to do it, they must just go out there and give it their all.”

• Punching Holes in the Sky can be ordered at https://bit.ly/3ngr25r