Record-Breaking Altitude in a Proudly South African Sling TSi

Loading player...
A young South African pilot is soaring into the history books — and she’s done it in a proudly home-built South African aircraft.

At just 21 years old, commercial pilot and instructor Shannon Russell has smashed a world altitude record for women in her class of aircraft, taking a Sling TSi to 32 059ft — that’s higher than many passenger jets fly.

But behind her record-breaking achievement is a deeply personal story of a daughter honouring her late father’s legacy.

HOT1027’s Tara Penny has more...
14 Nov 2025 English South Africa Entertainment News · Documentary

Other recent episodes

Breakthrough Surgery Offers New Hope for Deafness

Today is World Hearing Day — and South Africa has something extraordinary to celebrate. A Pretoria-based surgeon is being recognised around the world for pioneering a world-first procedure that can cure certain types of deafness. HOT 1027’s Al Prodgers reports…
2 Mar 1 min

RIP Neil Sedaka

Singer-songwriter Neil Sedaka has died in Los Angeles at the age of 86. His career spanned six decades and spanned a variety of musical genres. HOT1027's Simon Marks has more…
28 Feb 2 min

The 1917 SS Mendi tragedy remembered

Avalon Cemetery in Soweto is the final resting place of everyday residents, alongside giants of South Africa’s struggle like Hector Pieterson, Joe Slovo and Lilian Ngoyi. But It's also home to a memorial for 616 brave South Africans who have no grave except for the cold sea — they are…
20 Feb 1 min