Chapter i: About the Author
Siegfried Walther lives in Cape Town, South Africa where he has been practising law as an Advocate (Barrister) as a member of the Cape Bar since 1999. Prior to that he practiced as an Attorney at a Cape Town law firm and also served in the South African Defence Force as a Military Law Officer
He studied Politics and Law at the University of Cape Town. He graduating with a degree in Political Science in 1987 and obtained his Bachelor of Laws there in 1989. He regularly writes articles on legal and political issues on his BlogSpot blog.
Siegfried Walther has often been appointed as an Arbitrator in legal disputes following recommendations by his Peers or by practising attorneys.
As a child Siegfried Walther entertained three dreams. Becoming a trial lawyer. To be a professional DJ (Disc Jockey). And finally, to become an airline pilot with a view to flying one aircraft he admired more than any other: a Boeing 747-400 or the Jumbo Jet as it is more commonly known.
Siegfried Walther started his career as a DJ at school in Cape Town in 1982. He has since performed at weddings, fashion shows, Night clubs, School and university functions, house parties and New Year’s Eve functions across South Africa. He is still performs as a DJ on occasion and keeps up to date with the latest music and dance tracks.
He continues to publish his chart of current favourite tracks on his BlogSpot blog
He has also written a free guide book about iTunes and iTunes playlists. It includes advice about how to get started. Volume levelling between different tracks, all the way through to using Smart Playlists to create a virtual Radio Station which will play your chosen favourites from various playlists as often or as little as you’d like to hear them.
His choice to pursue a career in law instead of aviation was informed by the belief that being a trial lawyer would offer him with a constant series of new challenges. He feared that the life of a long haul airline pilot, which involves long hours of flying on auto-pilot, could become repetitive or boring.
In 2001 he discovered Microsoft’s Flight Simulator Programme’s and using this, and other resources, he now not only flies a variety of airliners, including the 747-400 on his simulator at home, but he now also writes extensively on aviation matters, particularly air crash investigations on his blog. On more than one occasion he has published views contradicting initial reports relating to some air crashes and in which he has offered contrary view of his own. In early 2014 he published a report on his blog criticising the conclusions of the initial French investigation into the cause of the Air France 447 of 2008 and in which he offered a contrary view. In mid-2014 five aviation experts came to the same conclusion he did.
Although he has flown and landed a small aircraft on two-occasions, he has no real interest in acquiring a Private Pilot’s licence or in VFR flight involving light aircraft. His belief that he could, if necessary, safely fly and land a 747-400 is part of a theme of another one of his books.
As a child he made various attempts to write fiction of some form or another. All these early attempts failed due when he found himself bogged down with constant editing and re-editing of early chapters and this would always reach a point where he felt unable to produce anything new until he felt that that which he had already produced was perfect.
He published his first novel In Guards we Trust in June 2013 and followed this up with another, Air Crash SA 252 at the end of that same year.
He also wrote a full written verdict as he would have delivered it in the Oscar Pistorius Trial if he had been the Judge. Not being a Judge, however, he wrote under it under the name of Judge Knott. This eBook’s publication pre-dated the actual judgment by more than two weeks. He reached the same conclusion as did the actual Judge The Foreword of that book explains his reasons for writing the Judgment and deals with numerous other aspects of interest.