Code of Conduct

Table of Contents

Purpose

The purpose of this Code of Conduct is to articulate the acceptable standard of behaviour expected of a SAHPA member. It represents a formal statement of the values and ethical standards that guide individuals in sport.

It further outlines a set of principles and norms to which SAHPA members can be held accountable by SAHPA, whether flying recreationally, instructing or competing at any sporting event.

The aim thereof, is not to simply learn more rules but rather develop certain interpretive sensitivity towards them. This can also be used as a point of reference when dealing with disciplinary procedures against members.

Ethical Principles

SAHPA expects its officials and members subscribe to an ethical code of conduct based upon the three tenets of:

  • beneficence (the duty to do good),
  • non-malfeasance (the duty to do no harm), and
  • justice (offenders to treated fairly and required to make good their wrongs and face the same sanctions for the same transgressions).

A code cannot cover every conceivable contingency and although it can be reasonably proscriptive in so far as the behaviour of officials is concerned, in the case of individual pilots one can only provide a guideline as to the type of behaviour that they should aspire to.

Application

The Code of Conduct applies equally to all levels of the organisation:

  • All SAHPA members,
  • SAHPA Committee members (elected, co-opted and ad hoc committee members)
  • SAHPA Employees,
  • Instructors,
  • Event organisers, and volunteers at a SAHPA-sponsored competition or event,
  • Visiting foreign pilots,
  • Student pilots.

SAHPA Officials

SAHPA Officials are expected to execute their respective portfolio responsibilities with alacrity, integrity and in accordance with the above principles by adhering to the following at all times:

  • Maintain exemplary standards of personal, professional and ethical conduct in fulfilling all aspects of the position of SAHPA Committee Member and/or Officer, including while interacting with SAHPA Members and all external organisations and individuals.
  • Act in the best interest of SAHPA while avoiding actions or decisions that could either bring the sport into disrepute or be unethical, illegal or contrary to the public interest.
  • Communicate openly, honestly and in acceptable time frames, while respecting confidentiality and individual rights, with SAHPA members and any other individuals or organisations having a relationship with SAHPA.
  • Ensure that all regulations, guidelines and licensing requirements are made freely available, applied, regularly reviewed and amended.
  • Investigate, evaluate, act and report on any safety, technical, procedural or disciplinary matters brought to their attention timeously, scrupulously in accordance with current regulations and devoid of favouritism and unencumbered by any external influences.
  • Exercise proper, legal and appropriate financial responsibility in all dealings with or on behalf of the SAHPA through maintaining accurate accounts and asset registers as well as being pro-active in pursuing debtors.
  • Disclose any potential conflict of interest situation resulting from involvement in SAHPA activities, and where appropriate, exclude themselves from involvement in such activities.
  • Keep privileged information confidential, except in circumstances when doing so would result in a breach of regulations or ethical conduct.
  • Actively encourage diversity throughout the activities of the Society. Refuse to engage in or sanction discrimination on the basis of race, gender, age, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, physical appearance, or disability.

Pilots

Pilots are the most visible of all SAHPA members as regards exposure to public scrutiny and should therefore:

  • Ensure that they are properly licensed for their class of glider.
  • Maintain their logbooks accurately and up to date.
  • Comply with all site rules, especially relating to airspace restrictions, access and trespassing, payment of fees, camping, littering and smoking.
  • Treat members of the public and other pilots with respect and common courtesy.
  • Behave at all times in a manner that reflects credit to the sport.
  • Report any hazard, incident or accident accurately and timeously.
  • Follow the correct protocol when either addressing the media or raising issues which require to be addressed by the sport’s national or international authorities.
  • Ensure that they are medically fit to fly, and to refrain from flying when under the influence of medication which may impair judgement.

Tandem pilots

Tandem pilots have the added responsibility of ensuring the safety of their passengers and to this end should, in addition to the above:

  • Apply a much greater safety test to conditions before flying with passengers.
  • Meticulously maintain their flying equipment.
  • Thoroughly explain the risks of flying to potential passengers.

Instructors

Instructors also have additional responsibilities in introducing new members to the sport and must therefore ensure that they:

  1. Emphasise safety at every opportunity.
  2. Only conduct training in accordance with the regulations, and in the context of a SACAA-approved school.
  3. Only progress students who have comfortably achieved the required skills and knowledge taught in the earlier stages of instruction.
  4. Ensure that the applicable training curriculum is fully adhered to as a minimum and to extend this whenever a student’s ability and flying conditions are conducive to such.
  5. Maintain their personal training qualifications and strive to advance their own proficiency, knowledge and teaching skills.

Each SAHPA member is expected to uphold and abide by this Code of Conduct. In the spirit of Just Culture, each pilot will be held accountable for any deed or action that does not comply and this may result in eviction after following the SAHPA disciplinary process.

Discipline