When You Dream

By Daniëlla van Heerden and Megan Werner

Every great dream starts with a dreamer. Megan’s dream is to build a light aircraft with other teenagers and fly it from Cape Town to Cairo. Her aim is to inspire children in other African countries to follow their dreams. In 2018 twenty inexperienced teenagers from various backgrounds were provided with hands-on experience in engineering and building an aircraft. They assembled a Sling-4 aircraft from start to finish within three weeks, under the guidance and supervision of a group of senior engineers.

When they eventually take to the air more than a year later, 17-year-old Megan and her co-pilots undertake a journey full of adventure and nail-biting moments. They fly over war torn Sudan, in Egypt they almost land in jail and officials refuse to give them permission to fly over Kenya. But at last, the triumphant team reaches Cairo … just for tragedy to strike a few days later while the team are on their way back to South Africa. Megan’s father and his co-pilot die when their support plane crashes near Tanzania.

Megan however refuses that her dream be compromised by this tragedy. Her dad would not have wanted that. After writing her record exams, she and two of her co-pilots retrieve their plane and complete the flight back to South Africa.

When you dream is based on true events and is a story of courage, commitment, hope AND pain. An adrenaline filled adventure that might sound far-fetched … if it wasn’t for the fact that it is true.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pan Macmillan South Africa Children's Books
• Release date: Aug 31, 2021
• ISBN: 9781776250714

Daniëlla van Heerden

Daniëlla van Heerden is 'n television newsreader and journalist for eNuus on kykNET and has received numerous awards for her work. She lives in Johannesburg with her photographer husband Cornél and their daughter Simoné.

Book preview

Pan Macmillan

www.panmacmillan.co.za

Chapter 1

‘Where are we going?’ Megan asked, taking another bite of the giant birthday cupcake on her lap. ‘C’mon guys, just tell me already!’

Her father simply smiled but kept his eyes on the road.

‘Almost there, honey,’ her mother said.

Her father took the next off-ramp and suddenly a sign that Megan recognised came into view: Rand Airport Welcomes You.

‘Are we going on a birthday flight, Dad?’ she asked excitedly.

‘Something like that,’ he replied.

They drove through the gates and parked close to the hangar. Her father’s close friend, Werner Froneman, walked over to greet them.

‘Des and Belinda, welcome,’ he said, shaking hands. He turned to Megan. ‘And here’s our special guest! Congrats on your fifteenth birthday, young lady.’

Megan greeted him, struggling to keep her eyes away from the stunning blue and white Cessna 172 that was parked on the landing strip outside the hangar. Next to it was a table covered with a bright red tablecloth and on top was a big white box tied with a red ribbon.

Werner must have noticed her curiosity, because he started laughing. ‘Yes, Megan, you can go have a look. The box is obviously meant for you.’

Megan jogged over and eagerly lifted the lid. She peeked inside the box, then turned and stared at her parents in confusion.

‘It’s ... empty,’ she said, trying to hide her disappointment.

‘Look again!’ her mother replied.

Megan lifted the box from the table, this time tilting it slightly. A small envelope fell to the ground. She picked it up and ripped it open.

Inside was a card with a photo Megan recognised instantly: Amelia Earhart next to her Lockheed Model 10-E Electra. The photo had been taken just before she departed on her 1937 flight around the world.

Amelia’s plane had disappeared during this flight and no one was sure exactly what happened to her. There were many conspiracy theories, but most people believe that the plane must have crashed in a remote area and caused her death. Amelia had been a brave and fearless woman and one of Megan’s heroines.

Megan gently touched the photo and then read the inside of the card.

Megan

You’ve been flying with us for so many years, and during this time you have more than proven your perseverance and dedication to aviation. Today – finally – it’s YOUR turn to take over the controls. Happy 15th birthday, Megs.

Love,

Mom and Dad

Megan stared at her parents in amazement. She’d been begging them for so long to give her a chance to steer a plane, but they’d always said that she was too young. And now, finally, unexpectedly, the day has arrived. She smiled from ear to ear. This was without a doubt the biggest and most important day of her life – so far.

‘Well, since you have apparently turned to stone, you’re probably not really excited ...’ her father said, pretending to walk away. ‘It’s okay, we can leave. We probably still have time to catch a movie.’

‘No, Dad!’ Megan ran after her father, grabbing him by the arm and pulling him back towards the plane. ‘The moment was just way too big for me.’

Her father chuckled, and her mother leaned in to give Megan a hug, her eyes brimming with tears.

‘Congratulations again, Megs. Now get in before the weather takes a turn for the worst and you forfeit your chance!’

Werner held open the passenger door and Megan hopped in. ‘Your father will take off and do the initial steering, but once in the air, you will get your chance.’

Megan nodded in agreement before taking her place behind the control panel. A few seconds later, her father was in the captain’s seat next to her. He straightened his hat, put on his tan-coloured aviator sunglasses and handed her an identical pair.

‘Now you truly are my co-pilot,’ he said, as Megan tied back her long blonde hair into a ponytail and slid the new sunglasses onto the bridge of her nose.

‘I never thought I would be excited about twinning with my dad!’ she giggled. ‘But I think we look pretty darn good.’

The seat beneath her began to vibrate as her father turned the ignition. Megan finally relaxed and leaned back into the seat – this was her happy place. Her mother and Werner waved as her father turned the plane’s nose towards the runway and started accelerating. Within minutes they were in the air, the houses and swimming pools below getting smaller. Soon the Johannesburg skyline became visible on the horizon. After so many flights as her father’s passenger, Megan was able to instantly recognise some of the most iconic buildings the city was known for – the Sentech Tower, also called the Brixton Tower; the tall, round Ponte Building and the famous Carlton Center, once one of the tallest skyscrapers in the Southern Hemisphere.

Her father then turned the aeroplane’s nose eastward, and gestured to a structure on the ground. ‘There is Ellis Park, where the Springboks won the Rugby World Cup in 1995.’

Megan simply smiled. She’d heard this story so many times before, but it made her father happy to tell it. When he finished telling her about Joel Stransky’s winning drop-goal, she asked about the plane that had flown over the stadium that day. They had a large, framed photo in their house of the massive Boeing 747 in flight, seemingly dangerously close to the top of the stadium.

‘Yes, that flight took place shortly before the iconic game kicked off. The pilot’s name was Laurie Kay. I also got the chance to do a fly-by in 2013 when the Boks played against the Kiwis.’

‘It must have been incredible,’ Megan mused, looking down at Ellis Park. ‘If South Africa ever hosts the Rugby World Cup again, I will be the one to fly the plane over the stadium.’

Her father put his hand on hers and smiled. ‘Okay, enough chit-chat – I think it’s time for your official training to commence,’ he pointed to the co-pilot’s control column. ‘If you had paid close attention to everything I have shown and taught you in the past, this will be a breeze. And remember, if anything does go wrong, I’m here to help you. You’re going to be fine.’

Megan nodded nervously and wiped her forehead. She had imagined this moment so many times, but suddenly the butterflies in her stomach felt like they had a few too many energy drinks! All at once things got very ... real. She was not in a simulator. She was sitting in a real plane and they really were hundreds of metres in the air – which meant the plane could actually crash.

‘Take a deep breath,’ her father assured her. ‘You can do it.’

Megan reached out and firmly grabbed the controls. She was in charge. For a few seconds she sat perfectly still to get used to the