The 1970 national championship was held at Durban's Virginia airport in October and included a national juniors event for the first time. Winner was Peter Nicholas (Tiger Moth) beating Peter Reilly into second place. Reilly competed in a Cessna Aerobat and won the Comair Trophy for the pilot gaining the highest marks in an Aerobat. The senior class was won by Scully Levin in a Stampe who beat Peter Van Blommestein, flying an Aerobat. Only two pilots competed in this class. The Intermediate event was won by Scully Levin (Stampe), followed by Dennis Bishop in his Citabria and then by Peter Van Blommestein (Aerobat).

1971 saw the national championship event being staged in Durban again, drawing 12 contestants. Winner of the Open class was Dennis Bishop (Citabria), second was Vic Dobson (Tiger Moth). The senior class was won by Dennis Bishop, second was Peter Van Blommestein (Aerobat), third was Peter Goldin (Fournier), fourth was Noel Otten (Tiger Moth) and fifth was Gerrit van den Bosch (Tiger Moth). The Junior class was won by Noel Otten, second was Peter Goldin and third Gerrit van den Bosch.

Flying the South African designed and built Rooivalk aerobatic aircraft, Dennis Bishop won the Intermediate class of the national championships held at Durban on May 15 1972. This was the first time that the Rooivalk had been flown in an aerobatic contest. Second was Peter Van Blommestein in a Cessna Aerobat. Competitors flew two sequences, a compulsory consisting of eight manouevres and a free sequence made up of ten manouevres of their own choice. The Junior class was won by Laurie Kay with Pat Hattingh as runner-up. Pilots in this category also flew two sequences, a compulsory (six manouevres) and a free sequence (six manoeuvres). There were no entries for the Senior class and nearly all pilots were from Durban.

In 1973, Scully Levin won his second national title at the championships which were held at Pietermaritzburg on 13 October 1973. Scully flew a Pitts Special to victory at this event which was not contested by the previous Open champion, Nick Turvey. Second place went to John Woods, also in a Pitts Special which he and his father "Woody" had recently completed building at their home in Johannesburg. Third place was taken by Dennis Bishop (Citabria) with Laurie Kay in fourth position, flying a Beech Sundowner. In the Intermediate class, Laurie Kay was first, Johann Vorster second, John Woods third and Vernon Brito (Siai Marchetti SF260) finished in fourth place.  The Standard class was won by Johann Vorster, R du Plooy second, Bob Hay (Tiger Moth) third and John Woods fourth. The compulsory sequence for the Open class consisted of a tailslide with stick back recovery, roll off the top of a half loop, flick roll on a 45 down line, a roll in a 45 climb, a stall turn, one-and -a-half positive spin, cuban eight with a roll, 3/4 loop and half positive flick, rolling circle, stall turn with a full positive flick on the way down, loop, and a half loop with a 4 point hesitation roll.

Since the start of aerobatic competition in South Africa, all the championships were organised by the Aero Club and individual flying clubs around the country had their own aerobatic sections. A milestone was achieved when the Sport Aerobatic Club was formed on October 19, 1974 to promote aerobatics, aerobatic education and competition at club level. This was the first formal recognition of aerobatics as an individual aviation sport at Aero Club level, whereas contests were previously flown in conjunction with the power flying events. The first steering committee was held at the home of "Woody" Woods and consisted of Selwyn (Scully) Levin as chairman, Syd Bottom (secretary), Johnny Woods (treasurer), Anne Woods and Roy Bouchier. A rule book was produced, based on the Aresti aerocryptographic system, a format which still applies today.

The world-wide fuel crisis during 1974 had a huge impact on aviation in South Africa with private and sport flying coming to a virtual halt. After a lapse of almost two years as a result of the fuel restrictions, the 1975 national championships were held at Rustenburg on 15 November with a far greater number of competitors than had been seen in previous years. Twenty eight pilots gathered at Rustenburg for the 11th national championships and was won once again by Nick Turvey, his 7th national title. Nick flew a Pitts Special which had only hours before the start been declared airworthy (ZS-ZAP), having had carburation problems. No fewer than ten aircraft types were entered, but it is perhaps significant that all five entrants in the Open class competed in Pitts Specials. The diminutive Pitts was considered to be the Ferrari of the sky at the time and it proved itself at the 1972 world championships, held in Salon de Provence, France. It was as a result of this showing that Scully Levin decided to import a Pitts Special which he flew in the contest for the first time. Minimum flying time experience was one of the criteria for competing pilots and consisted of 80 hours (Standard), 100 hours (Intermediate) and 500 hours (Open). Placed second in the Open class was Scully Levin, third was Johann Dries. Noel Otten (Pitts Special) won the Intermediate class ahead of Johann Vorster (Aerobat) and Laurie Kay (Beech Sundowner). Honours in the Standard class went to Brian Roach (Citabria) with Bob Hay (Pitts Special) in second place and Woody Woods (Pitts Special) third.

For the second successive year the nationals were held at Rustenburg after the highly successful contest organised by the Rustenburg Flying Club the previous year. Once again there was a large field of contestants with no less than four Pitts Specials in attendance. 18 pilots took part in the three-class contest and each flew a compulsory and free sequence with the Open class pilots having to fly an unknown sequence as well. What is believed to be the first time that a woman pilot had entered a South African aerobatic event, flying instructor Pam Tilbury competed in the Standard class. The championships were flown in ideal conditions and the event attracted a large crowd of spectators and some 42 visiting aircraft. Airline pilot Johann Dries won the Open class, followed closely by Nick Turvey and then Scully Levin, all flying Pitts Specials. Intermediate class results were Bob Hay (Bucker Jungmann) ahead of Rolf Borchers (Tiger Moth) and Peter Goldin (Fournier). Lucio Vasylenko (Pitts Special) beat Brian Zeederberg (Bucker Jungmann) and Warren Percy (Victa Airtourer) in the Standard class.

The 1977 national championships were again held at Rustenburg, this time being presented as a spectator event without much success. It also attracted one of the lowest number of competitors yet with only 11 pilots, almost all from one club. In the absence of the reigning champ Johann Dries, Nick Turvey was determined to win the title for a record eighth time. A faulty engine in his Pitts nearly scuttled his plans when it faltered during a loop in his first sequence, however, after a bit of mechanical magic he managed to continue and regain the championship. Without Johann Dries, Scully Levin, Roy Bouchier and Johnny Woods, the real threat to Turvey's chances would have been Warren Percy who managed a fine second place. Noel Otten finished third with Bob Hay in fourth place. One of the most promising pilots in the field, Brian Zeederberg, gave a display that enabled him to walk away with both the Standard and Intermediate classes. Flying a Pitts Special, he had a distinct advantage over the remaining competitors, nearly all who competed in more underpowered aircraft. Bob Hay and Warren Percy (both flying Pitts Specials) were runners up in the Intermediate class, while in the Standard class Bob Plane and Rolf Borchers (both flying Tiger Moths)were the runners up. One of the five judges of the event was world recognised British judge, James Black, who voiced his high regard of the standard of flying at the event.

Baragwanath was the venue for the 1978 national championships, the first time since 1969. Scully Levin won his third national title at this event, competing against five other seasoned campaigners, all flying the venerable Pitts S1 model. Nick Turvey finished in second place, ahead of Noel Otten.

Noel Otten, flying a Pitts S1S, trounced his competitors to capture the 1979 national title during the championships held at Baragwanath airfield. The contest was held over two separate weekends a month apart when bad weather resulted in the contest not being completed on the scheduled date. Former US champion Don Taylor and his wife had travelled to South Africa to preside at this contest.

Noel first revealed his touch of class when he triumphed in two Open class sequences during the previous month. He beat Nick Turvey into second place with Bob Hay finishing third. Scully Levin had to withdraw from the contest when his commitments prevented him from completing the contest on the revised dates.

The Sportsman and Intermediate classes were dominated by the 'flying doctor' Sally Velzeboer. In only her second nationals, she led these classes with consistent precision aerobatics in a Pitts S1S, borrowed from Bob Hay. Peter Goldin in his Fournier RF4 incurred several sequence errors in both classes and missed his chance at clinching the titles. Lucio Vasylenko managed a respectable second place in Intermediate with Peter Goldin third. In the Sportsman class, Goldin finished second to Sally Velzeboer, ahead of Graham Hill.