IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT THURSDAY, 31 MAY 2007 COMMUNICATION REGARDING STANDARDIZED PRIVATE PILOT LICENCE (PPL)

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1 Office of the Chief Executive Officer SA Civil Aviation Authority Private Bag X73 Halfway House 1685 Tel: (011) Fax: (011) IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT THURSDAY, 31 MAY 2007 COMMUNICATION REGARDING STANDARDIZED PRIVATE PILOT LICENCE (PPL) EXAMINATIONS AND VALIDATIONS OF FOREIGN PPL VISUAL FLIGHT RULES (VFR) Introduction The purpose of this Communiqué is to convey to the aviation industry and all the relevant stakeholders the status regarding the proposed introduction of a standardized national Private Pilot Licence examinations as well as matters surrounding the validation of foreign Private Pilot Licence (PPL) Visual Flight Rules (VFR). Background The South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) issued a Communiqué on 19 April 2007, which stated that the status quo pertaining to approved Aviation Training Organization (ATOs) conducting PPL examinations would continue as is until further notice. The stay in the implementation of new PPL testing standards was necessitated by the fact the insufficient consultation and investigations on the matter had been undertaken by the SACAA. Problem Statement The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) audited the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) in 1999 and also in During these two audits, the following findings were recorded regarding the status of the South African Private Pilot Licence (PPL): 1

2 The PPL syllabus was found to be inadequate and insufficient and it was noted that it needed to be raised to a level that is not too far off from the Commercial Pilot Licence requirements. The PPL theoretical and practical standards were also found to be insufficient and of an unacceptable level. It was also noted that Aviation Training Organisations (ATOs) set their own PPL examinations with varying standards across the industry. SACAA Primary Objectives SACAA is charged with regulating, promoting and enforcing aviation safety and security standards in the country. As part of its mandate, SACAA is duty bound to ensure that the standards that are implemented in South Africa compare favourably with international best practices. Given the nature of the previous ICAO findings regarding our PPL, SACAA seeks to achieve the following: Ensure that the previous ICAO audit findings are completely resolved and will not be repeated in the next ICAO audit. Implement a standardised National PPL examination under the control of SACAA. Implement a new PPL syllabus with appropriate practical and theoretical standards. Ensure that our PPL testing and licensing standards compare favourably with international best practices. Ensure that our PPL attain levels of credibility and would ensure that it is highly regarded worldwide. Provide statistical analysis of PPL examinations being conducted in order to monitor adherence with the standard. SACAA Industry Consultations As the SACAA seeks to implement new standards regarding the PPL, consultations with the industry were conducted in Gauteng in November 2006 and also in Cape Town, George, Port Elizabeth and Durban April SACAA regrets to note that these industry 2

3 consultations were not well attended by the industry due to the fact that there were insufficient notification periods extended to the industry. As a result, SACAA pursued further industry consultations in order to ensure that its position on the matter is fully presented to the industry at large. Even during the recently held SACAA Industry Liaison Forum, which was held at the SACAA offices in April 2007, an invitation was also extended to the industry to forward comments on the matter to SACAA. Some of the concerns that emanated from the recent consultations with the industry include the following: Proposal to accredit the Chief Flight Instructors to act as SACAA examiners where it comes to conducting the PPL examinations. To increase the proposed frequency of conducting the examinations to a weekly or even daily basis. To have the SACAA send all preset examinations to the Aviation Training Organizations (ATOs) and allow them to conduct and invigilate the examinations themselves. For SACAA to allow the ATOs to continue using the Ray Swales system. Forthcoming ICAO & FAA Audits Both ICAO and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will be auditing SACAA in July SACAA is committed to doing all within its powers to ensure that these audits would find our PPL standards to be compliant with the ICAO Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPS). SACAA does not wish to record a repeat audit finding of noncompliance regarding the PPL matter as well as all other disciplines within its Safety Oversight System. As such, all these efforts, which the SACAA is exerting towards upping the standard of the PPL, are meant to ensure that our PPL maintains its credibility and rates favourably in comparison with international best practices and standards. 3

4 Resolutions regarding PPL Examinations Having considered all the facts emanating from engaging the industry and also taking into account the need to fully resolve the previous ICAO and FAA audit findings regarding the PPL testing standards the SACAA proposes the following: (i) (ii) The new implementation date for the new National PPL Standardized Examinations will be 2 July The new standardized PPL Examinations will be conducted at the following centres: (a) (b) (c) At the SACAA s head office in Midrand, Johannesburg, where the examinations will be conducted on a daily basis (2 sittings per day from Mondays to Fridays). At SACAA approved Test Centres in Durban, Cape Town and Port Elizabeth where the examinations will be conducted every six weeks. At all accredited ATOs that would have met all the prerequisite requirements for accreditation. In this case, the accredited ATO can conduct such standardised examinations electronically as and when required. (iii) All ATOs wishing to be accredited must comply with the following: (a) (b) (c) Submit a completed application form for accreditation which is already available on the SACAA website. ATOs are encouraged to ensure that their applications reach SACAA not later than 13 June All applicants will be subjected to an accreditation process that will include SACAA performing audits at each ATO. The guidelines on conducting examinations and invigilation are already available on the SACAA website. 4

5 The primary concerns that were raised by the industry and acknowledged by SACAA in terms of the frequency of writing examinations as well as the logistical challenges have now been addressed since candidates can write the PPL examinations at any accredited ATO as and when they are ready to do so. Resolutions regarding Validations of Foreign PPL VFR Regarding the validation of foreign PPL for VFR, SACAA proposes that all applicants should meet the following requirements: Be a holder of a valid foreign license, medical and radio certificate. Have their licence validity verified by SACAA with the country of issue. Submit an application accompanied by the appropriate fees for validation including foreign license and medical copies at least 90 days prior to planned issuance of the validation. On submission of the original license, medical and application form the validation will be issued for PPL VFR Operations for a period not exceeding 90days, without the pilot having written a South African Air Law Examination or having performed a Flight Test. However the following endorsement will be placed on the validation: For private day VFR operations only, provided the holder first successfully completes an appropriate South African Air Law examination and a flight test at an approved ATO, with a Grade I or ll flight instructor. Foreign PPL holders seeking validation for hour building purposes will be required to comply with the normal requirements that include writing the SA Air Law examination and performing a flight test prior to the issuance of the validation. In addition, Aeronautical Information Circular (AIC) 30.7 that provides the guidelines for validations of foreign pilot licences, will be amended to reflect the above changes. 5

6 Conclusion SACAA would like to take this opportunity to thank the industry for their support and contributions in resolving this very important issue. We do understand that the time lines are extremely tight. However the benefits of implementing the above resolutions are indeed very critical in ensuring that our Private Pilot Licences continue to meet the international best practices and standards. For further information and clarity on the matter please feel free to contact: Mr Obert Chakarisa, Acting General Manager: Air Safety Operations chakarisao@caa.co.za Telephone : Cell phone : Kind regards, Zakes Myeza Chief Executive Officer South African Civil Aviation Authority 6