Membership & Licensing

Every pilot who flies a paraglider, speedwing, hang-glider, paramotor or paratrike in South Africa is required to comply with the following:

• Must have a valid SACAA licence. Even though speedwings are not a recognised discipline, speedwing pilots may not fly without a licence. Speedwings are recognised as a specialist type of paraglider, therefore a paragliding licence is appropriate.
• Must have 3rd Party Liability Aviation Insurance to comply with Civil Aviation Act Section 8(5) to cover the risk of you injuring someone or damaging their property. Please note: your domestic insurance policy does not cover aviation-related claims). This is also a prerequisite by landowners and is a requirement in land-owner agreements.
• Must be a member of the relevant Aviation Recreation Organisation (ARO). Please refer to the Civil Aviation Regulations, Part 94.06.1 (2) and 94.06 (3). SAHPA is an approved ARO.
• Must have permission from the landowner to launch from a site. Refer to the Civil Aviation Regulations Part 94.06.2 (1)(g).
• Should be a member of the Aero Club of South Africa (AeCSA).
• Pilots flying with a passenger must hold an appropriate tandem rating.

Introductory Flight Experience

• Pilots flying with a passenger for remuneration must hold a South African Licence with both a tandem rating as well as a Grade-C instructor rating, and may only operate in the context of a SACAA-approved school (Part 141).

SAHPA Membership Fee

Your SAHPA membership fee therefore includes the following:

• SACAA Licence Renewal fee (local pilots only)
• SAHPA Membership (required to comply with Civil Aviation Regulations, Part 94.06.1 (2) and 94.06 (3))
• 3rd Party Liability Aviation Insurance (required)
• ICASA Radio Licence (optional)
• Access to SAHPA-approved competitions and events.
• SAHPA Membership bestows permission on SAHPA members to fly from all sites listed in the AIP ENR 5.5. See the SAHPA Site Register for details. This means that SAHPA members are not required to obtain permission from land-owners as required by Civil Aviation Regulations Part 94.06.2 (1)(g). However, each landowner still reserves the right of admission.
• SAHPA membership excludes Site Fees as required by sites like Map Jump Club, Sedgeview and Gerickes.
• SAHPA membership excludes membership with the Aero Club of South Africa. This will change later in 2024, with the introduction of the Aero Club Corporate Membership.

Fees

Learner Pilot Membership

If you are a novice pilot and do not yet have a licence, you must apply for a Learner Pilot Membership which allows you to fly under the supervision of an instructor at an approved school (see www.sahpa.co.za/schools).

• A Learner Pilot who has submitted licence documentation but who has not yet received confirmation of licence, may continue to fly under the supervision of a school.
• It is the responsibility of the Learner Pilot to renew their Learner Membership if training extends beyond 6 months.

Foreign Membership

Visiting foreign pilots may apply for a Foreign Pilot Membership (2 or 6 months).

Every foreign pilot flying a paraglider, hang-glider, paramotor or paratrike in South Africa is required to comply with the following:

• Must have an IPPI 4 card (or greater), however pilots with an IPPI 3 (or below) card are required to fly under supervision of an approved school.(see www.sahpa.co.za/schools)
• Must have 3rd Party Liability Aviation Insurance (mandatory). The SAHPA foreign membership includes 3rd party liability aviation insurance.
• Must be a member of SAHPA. Please refer to the Civil Aviation Regulations, Part 94.06.1 (2) and 94.06 (3).
• Must have permission from the landowner to launch from the site. Refer to the Civil Aviation Regulations Part 94.06.2 (1)(g).
• Pilots flying with a passenger must have an appropriate tandem rating with an IPPI 6 card.

Current Membership

Speedflying

Speedflying is a variant of paragliding and therefore falls within SAHPA’s scope. For more information, please see General Notice GAD001 – Speedflying and BASE jumping published by the CAA.

Currently, all speedflyers are required to undergo training and obtain paragliding sport licences in order to fly unrated speedwings, miniwings and parakites (like the Flare Moustache or Flow Mullet).

If there be interest from the speedflying community, SAHPA may add a specialised speedflying syllabus, rating and recognition of prior learning to assist experienced skydivers in a cost-effective transition.

Currently, the only way a pilot may fly an unrated wing (ie. speed-wing, miniwing, or para-kite) is to have a PG Sport rating. There is currently no recognised speed-flying syllabus in South Africa, and speedwing pilots are thus required to obtain their PG Sport ratings.

Obligations and Responsibilities

Each pilot must comply with the following:

• Civil Aviation Act 13 of 2009
• Civil Aviation Regulations (CARs)
• Civil Aviation Technical Standards (CATS)
• Airspace restrictions (published in AIP ENR 5.5)
• SAHPA Manual of Procedures (MOP)
• SAHPA Manual of Additional Procedures (MOAP)
• SAHPA Code of Conduct
• Table Mountain National Park EMP
• National Environmental Management Act 107 of 1998
• Site rules (these vary from site to site)
• Municipal by-laws.

Membership Administration System

All member information is captured in a digital Membership Administration System (MAS). This provides a portal for all pilots to renew their membership and update their personal information.

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