AOPA Briefing

December 2023

Let’s get some denions out of the way rst. ICAO

is the Internaonal Civil Aviaon Organisaon

which has the task of implemenng the 1944

Convenon on Internaonal Civil Aviaon. The

Convenon’s purpose is to establish Standards

and Recommended Pracces (SARPs), which form

the basis of aviaon regulaons in all 193 ICAO

member states.

AOPA - CHRIS MARTINUS

AOPA

BRIEFING

ICAO Report Back

For the size of its role, ICAO is a surpisingly small organisation.

December 2023

THESE SARPS ESTABLISH regulatory

consistency between all these countries in

order to achieve recognition of each others’

licences, certificates and other documents,

which facilitates ease of air travel between and

within all member states, regardless of their

international and domestic politics.

Although ICAO is nominally a specialised

agency of the United Nations, which has

sometimes been jocularly referred to as

the accepted forum for the expression of

international hatred, despite its stated purpose of

achieving world peace, ICAO strives to achieve

consensus in aviation standards despite its

members’ political differences.

ICAO itself is a fairly small organisation. It

convenes the ICAO Assembly every three years,

where those 193 states elect the ICAO Council,

a 32-member body of states which defines

ICAO’s mission, appoints the ICAO Secretariat

and oversees various expert bodies who do the

actual legwork of ICAO.

Most important of these expert bodies is the

Air Navigation Commission (ANC, not to be

confused with a South African political party),

which considers proposals and develops the

actual SARPs and PANs (Procedures for Air

Navigation Services). The ANC consists of

19 aviation experts and several international

observer bodies who participate in the

ICAO wants to change to True North navigation.

December 2023

deliberations in developing SARPs and PANS.

The observer bodies represent various aviation

interest groups such as air traffic control

(CANSO), airline pilots (IFALPA), airlines (IATA)

and general aviation (IAOPA).

Before your eyes glaze over and you reach for

the TV remote, let me bore you a little longer

and describe IAOPA. IAOPA is the International

Council of Aircraft Owner and Pilot Associations,

a collection of AOPAs (Aircraft Owner and

Pilot Associations) from 87 countries. IAOPA

represents the interests of general aviation (i.e.

non commercial aviation) at ICAO. IAOPA has

a permanent representative, Frank Hofmann, at

ICAO in Montreal.

For my own part, not only have I been President

of AOPA South Africa for far too long, but am

also in my eighth year as

Vice President of IAOPA

for the Africa/Middle East

Region. Every two years,

IAOPA makes proposals

to amend the SARPs for

the benefit of the general

aviation community

worldwide, while also

gathering and exchanging information and views

from our international counterparts.

With all that background out of the way, let’s

take a look at the report-back that Frank

Hofmann so ably provides us with concerning

the deliberations at various ICAO panels.

The Report Back

The amendments of SARPs is a fairly arduous

process. Although ICAO strives to consider

proposed amendments within two years, in

reality the process tends to take around eight

years.

In 2018 IAOPA developed a proposal for

simplified and far less onerous requirements for

medical certificates for PPL licences. This was

done in conjunction with a panel of eminent

aviation medical examiners and expert aviation

medics from around the world. The proposal has

enjoyed support from several ICAO member

countries and has already been reviewed by

the ICAO Pilot Licensing and Training Panel

(PLTP), who although having expressed

some reservations, are moving forward with

the proposal and we are expecting this to be

incorporated in the SARPs in the near future.

Fortunately, IAOPA President Jim Coon is a

member of the PLTP and is there to keep the

proposal on the go. The gist of the amendments

is that, in accordance with the ICAO philosophy

that standards regarding general aviation need

only address the safety of third parties (i.e.

persons and property on the ground and in

other aircraft), this has in practice been sufficient

to adequately the safety needs of general

aviation pilots and their

passengers.

In any event, all pilots

have a duty to ensure

their own medical fitness

through self-certification.

Even ALTPs should not

be flying if they have a

bad case of the flu or other debilitating medical

symptoms such as gastric disturbances.

Still on the medical front, mental health concerns

have risen in importance in ICAO’s safety

mandate. The Mental Health Working Group

(MHWG) noted that globally 20% of licences

are refused on mental health grounds. Of those

20%, older pilots show lower refusal rates than

younger pilots: the rates dropping from 43%

refused for younger pilots to 5% for those aged

60+. Suicide rates peak in the 35-44 age range.

From AOPA SA’s own research, it should be

noted that there appears to be a high incidence

of personality disorders in aviation. Since

aviation tends to be a “glamour industry” where

pilots are perceived by the general public to be

sky gods with special skills and abilities, it tends

to attract many individuals with disorders relating

to poor self-esteem and self-worth, such as

a very high

incidence of

suicides

December 2023

narcissistic personality disorder. The esteem in

which pilots are held is a magnet for disordered

persons looking to bolster their own mental

health deficiencies.

Statistically, mental health disorders show a very

high incidence of suicides – and this is believed

to underlie several disasters such as the

Germanwings tragedy and the disappearance

of flight MH370. The recent incident regarding

a jumpseat pilot’s attempt to shut down the

engines in flight as well as other such bizarre

incidents tends to underpin this view.

This will certainly lead to a tightening medical

requirements regarding mental health in the

future. The Aviation Security (AVSEC) briefing

to the ANC on the Global Aviation Security Plan

(GASeP) updated Threats and Risks to Civil

Aviation caused by the impact of mental health

incidents.

Other deliberations at the ICAO ANC include

standards for the launch and re-entry of

space vehicles through lower airspace to be

safely coordinated. There has also been a

long-standing debate by the Safe Carriage of

Goods Special Working Group (SCG SWG)

over the complex issue of the safe carriage of

lithium battery powered devices for crew and

passengers.

Coming down the pipe is the addition of

Electronic Documents Certificate Carriage

(EDC) for Personnel Licences (EPL) provisions

to enhance trans-border operations’ verification

of documents.

Cyber Security seems to be a growing topic of

concern. The Cyber Security WG is developing

a glossary of terms and guidance material for

the reporting of cyber incidents.

New RPAS standards are expected to become

applicable in 2026.

The True North Working Group intends

ultimately to propose a transition plan for the

implementation of the change away from

magnetic direction references.

ICAO is focusing on increasing levels of

implementation of all SARPS which ICAO

has promulgated, consisting of over 13,000

Standards and Recommended Practices

(SARPS). It has been determined that their

implementation rate is too low.

Pilot mental health is a key ICAO initiative.

December 2023

The way forward

AOPA South Africa, particularly through its

affiliation with IAOPA, intends to further its

involvement in pursuing greater development,

simplification, implementation and compliance

with these international

standards and

cooperation in the

coming year, not just

in South Africa, but in

the entire Africa/Middle

East Region.

Unfortunately, this region is by far the weakest

of the IAOPA regions as regards general

aviation, marred by incessant wars, divisive

politics, military control of civil airspaces and a

general misunderstanding of the importance of

general aviation, to the detriment of economic

development and personal freedoms.

I personally take delight in engaging with our

counterparts in other countries. Our relationship

with AOPAs around the world transcends petty

political disputes, corruption, power-broking and

ideologies. Instead, we enjoy a common bond

of promoting and developing our shared love for

aviation, ignoring our differences and the horrible

identity politics that are

tearing the world apart.

We fervently wish for

the continued support

of the general aviation

community in being

an example for how

governments should also

be furthering humanity’s common interests,

rather than fomenting conflict and division.

Chris Martinus

President

Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association –

South Africa

the launch

and re-entry of

space vehicles

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