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S
IMILAR to organisations
that arrange 4x4 self-drive
groups, Aviation Touring
Companies (ATCOs) bring
qualied foreign pilots with
their families and friends
into South Africa and set up self-piloted
safari tours for them using small aircraft.
The recent announcement by the
SACAA throws into chaos the planning
system that tour operators have used for
decades. Existing contracts made months
earlier are jeopardised. The Authority said
the rules would take effect from 13 March
and gave industry leaders no opportunity
for a hearing. Aviation touring companies
warn that the abrupt decision will wreck their
ability to plan, could force them to cancel
tours, and would give South African tourism
a black eye.
HOW LICENCE VALIDATION WORKS
Although ICAO, in terms of the Chicago
Convention, prescribe that contracting
states must recognise each other’s licences
and certicates, foreign pilots must have a
‘validated’ pilot licence to legally y a South
African-registered aircraft. On the basis of
‘ight safety’, the SACAA mandates that the
pilots are locally tested on their ying skills,
on the rules of the air, and receive briengs
about special ying conditions in southern
Africa. If successfully completed, the pilot
receives the validated private pilot licence.
“Safaris are planned and paid for months
in advance and the SACAA ruling trashes
our ability to make those plans”, said long-
time tour operator Nick Hanks of Hanks Aero
Adventures. “They’ve said that they won’t
start the paper work until after the pilot has
arrived in country. For years they have not
only started, but have completed the ofcial
paperwork far in advance”.
Under long-existing custom, the SACAA
issued the licence paperwork well before
the vacationing party arrived. This left only
the air law and skill tests to be completed
(usually over a weekend), to enable pilot-
groups to takeoff on their vacations.
“If the guest cannot y because the CAA
hasn’t issued his licence, they’ll have lost a
lot of money”, Hanks said. “They’ll be angry
and they’ll never come back. It’s all because
the SACAA won’t begin their work ahead
of time” he said. “Moreover, once they’ve
nished their job, they give themselves ve
more days to give the pilot the licence.”
Hanks said the muddle means a proper
schedule cannot be set.
Safari lodges require guests to pay for
their accommodation up to four months in
advance. If the tourist is unable to get there
on schedule, there is no refund. Guests pay
as much as $2000 (R28,000) per person
each night at some lodges. A two-week self-
piloted safari can cost a couple upwards of
$30,000 (R420,000).
“When the tourist-pilots make their plans,
we allow two to three days in Johannesburg
for preparations, briengs, the air law
test and ight checks,” Hanks said. “We
AOPA BRIEFING
REPORT: CHRIS MARTINUS
A decision by the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) to change pilot certication
procedures may kill 'vacation ying' – a lucrative tourism industry that employs hundreds of
South Africans and brings in millions of dollars of foreign exchange.
SA-CAA CRASHES AVIATION
TOURISM INDUSTRY
Self y safaris bring in millions in foreign exchange to SA.
www.sayer.com | April 2019
71
j
schedule all this tightly so the pilot-groups
depart on schedule. We’ve worked this way
since starting this business in 1997.”
“Now SACAA won’t let you begin any
application processes until the pilots and
parties are here and have completed the
CAA mandated checks - they can’t tell us
when the licenses will be ready,” he said.
“They say it’ll be within ve working days.”
Hanks said the muddle over beginning
a license application and nally issuing
the license means a self-piloted schedule
cannot be xed. “If the change sticks, hard-
and-fast reservations cannot be made and
no one will book tours. It’ll kill the whole
industry.”
Similar operations have developed
in Australia, the United States, Europe
and New Zealand. In most instances,
the requirements for validation can be
completed online.
Markus Mollmann, of Pretoria’s
Bushpilot Adventures, notes that in other
countries, “The licence validation process
is simpler. Most of these countries have
foreign pilots validated – with licence
in hand – within a single day. While the
validation requirements here have been
more complicated compared to other ying
destinations, we work them into our guest-
pilots’ trip schedules,” Mollmann says. “With
these sudden changes however, we cannot
promise any set schedule.”
Holiday ying contributes to almost
every facet of South African tourism,
including eco-tourism, paleo-and cultural-
tourism, motoring, adventure, and sport
tourism.
Dave Vanderspey, of Cape based African
Aero Safaris, goes further to say, “Tourists
vote with their feet and South Africa will
lose this lucrative tourism income to other
countries that don’t have such restrictions. In
an environment where every job opportunity
counts more than ever before, this SACAA
action is particularly harmful to South Africa
– and more – it is unnecessary! It is purely
a procedural change and has no bearing on
ight safety.”
Aviation tourism has grown dramatically
since Mandela was elected. Starting with
one company in the early 1990s, there
are now several full-time operators. Many
ight schools around the country also
offer licence validations and more limited
services to vacationing pilots and their
families. Combined revenues of the aviation
tour operators now generate in excess of an
estimated $1,500,000 (R21 Million) per year.
The SACAA proposals would kill
the principals’ businesses and diminish
the business of ight schools and ight
instructors and other down-stream
enterprises such as lodgings, transfer
services, local tours and artefact vendors,
causing lost jobs and revenue.
SACAA FEUD AGAINST GAME
LODGES
For several years, SACAA has been
attempting to impose onerous regulations
and requirements on game lodges and other
y-in tourist destinations. This includes the
ongoing aireld licensing/registration saga.
The changes to the licence validation
process have not yet been discussed with
industry stakeholders such as AOPA, nor
have they been through the statutorily
required consultation process with parties
whose rights are negatively affected.
The unnecessary restrictions and
proposed regulations are mostly driven by
commercial charter operators who seek
to shift their liabilities and insurance costs
to game lodge owners and to discourage
private aviation in the forlorn hope that
tourists make use of their scheduled
and chartered ights, instead of ying
themselves.
Sadly, the development of these very
damaging regulations and unworkable
procedures is happening behind closed
doors with inexperienced, unqualied and
malleable ofcials. Unfortunately, if South
Africa loses this lucrative tourism sector, it is
unlikely that it will ever recover.
COLUMNS
COMPARATIVE PROCEDURES FOR THE VALIDATION OF FOREIGN PILOTS LICENCES
FOR PRIVATE DAY VFR FLYING / RECREATIONAL HOLIDAY FLYING
SOUTH AFRICA USA (FAA) CANADA
UNITED
KINGDOM
EUROPE (EASA) AUSTRALIA
Time required in
country
Min. 9 days
1
1 day 1 day 1 day Unknown 1 day
Airlaw Exam
required
YES NO NO NO NO NO
Briefing required
YES
2
NO
NO
NO
NO
NO
Type of flight
test required
Initial PPL Test Flight review Flight review
Acclimatization
flight
Acclimatization
flight
Flight review
Can the
validation be
issued prior to
below
requirements
being met
NO YES YES
No validation
required
3
No validation
required
4
YES
Initial application
method
Hard copy Email / Online Email Email Email Email / Online
Validity up to 60 months
Unlimited / No
expiry
up to 12 months 28 days 28 days up to 12 months
1
Assuming no administrative delays - 2 days briefing and testing plus 7 days waiting for issuance of licence
2
Briefing on airspaces and radio procedures as well as density altitude
3
UK does not need a validation for private flights of max 28 days a year. A simple declaration of licence suffices. See amplified procedures below.
4
EASA does not need a validation for private flights of max 28 days a year.
Country comparison expanded procedures.
Sample Trip Kit 2.
