SAHPA Members,
We’d like to give you some feedback on our attempts to improve internal operations. We hope this demonstrates our ongoing commitment to improving levels of service to the flying community.
In the beginning of 2019, Louise gave us input on which processes required the most data-capturing and unnecessary rework. She explained how the bulk of her time was taken up with Incident/Accident Reports, as well as processing Foreign Pilot Permits. It seemed like a good place to start.
Incident/Accident Reporting
The online Incident/Accident Reporting form was launched on the 5th of April and we have since received 57 reports. This digital form has significantly reduced the time it takes a pilot to file a report, but has also streamlined the paperwork and data capturing friction by the SAHPA Office.
Foreign Pilot Permits
While analysing the process for Foreign Pilot Permits, we discovered that it was open-ended with no checks and balances. As the process was vulnerable to abuse, the SAHPA Committee made several unpopular but principled decisions to remedy this.
Pilots reported a number of recurring technical glitches, however we have systematically dealt with these to ensure that the system is robust for the next phase.
Last week we evaluated our progress, and are now pleased to report that the number of Foreign Pilot Permits issued has increased significantly when compared to previous years:
2017: 335 (paper only)
2018: 422 (paper only)
2019: 601 (300 paper, 301 digital)
Then, in just this past month (January 2020) we have processed a whopping 217 Foreign Pilot Permits. These results serve as confirmation that we are on the right track.
SAHPA Membership and Licence Renewals
There is an unfortunate short-term complication for local pilots: SAHPA is constrained with regulations that compel us to still use paper-based records for processing local pilot licences with SACAA. The SAHPA committee is working with SACAA to remedy this through a change in regulation.
Change in Focus
We will now focus on improving Learner Pilot Permits and supporting student progression, whilst reducing the overall administrative burden for Instructors and Schools.
SACAA audit completed
all pilots are required to be members of the relevant ARO as per Part 94 of the Civil Aviation Regulations of 2011. SAHPA is the designated ARO for Hang-Gliding and Paragliding. We were recently audited against our manual for compliance and received four findings of an administrative nature. These were immediately recorded in a Corrective Action Plan. We are currently correcting these, and SACAA has expressed satisfaction with our approach.
Our new ARO certificate, which allows SAHPA members and pilots to fly, was issued yesterday and will shortly be available on the website.
Fly safely,
The SAHPA Committee