From: David and Anette
To: larry ; chris van eeden ; Dave Levy
Sent: Monday, October 22, 2007 7:03 PM
Subject: Re: { SAMicro } Authority to Fly for Non Type Certificated Aircraft ( i.e. how to keep your flying skedonk legal).
to the folk on microlighters.co.za, this is a mail I sent to some friends in their private capacity. Read on and get an idea of just some of the issues at stake that are seriously compromising the future of the freedom of flying in a trike....
How you guys doin? Bin snoozing it looks like:):).............and I quote.. "thereby supporting a bunch of guys who give their time free gratis and for zip to ensure that Microlight and Sport plane pilots dont get regulated and screwed out of the sky"
the free gratis stuff can kinda be said about the sections within Aero Club, but hardly about the latter............
About what is in bold. Read on......
1. Before the minimum height rule over heritage sites etc., was made law, I had a very, very lengthy conversation informing the GM of Aero Club about it...........Now it is law........... I even spoke to Renel Stander about it while she was still with DOT...
'unquote' to the microlighters.co.za guys, what this means is that if you want to fly along the beach at Sodwana, you need to be at 4 500 feet ASL!!lekka view from up there. What is also means is that if you want to fly along the Drakensberg, you need to be at about 15 000feet ASL?
2. DEAT have passed laws that you guys should know about by now.. They have already successfully closed Overberg School of Microlighting in Hermanus.........they have been warned that if they use their strip again they will be arrested and their aircraft impounded......yup......... Our
Aero Club were also warned about this about 2 years ago.......now it's law, and they are trying crisis management......
3. Part 24 has been gazetted, with implementation date 1/1/08....haul out your BEEK volumes 2 and 3 and start reading and see what is in store for us...............My bet is that by the end of January 2008, NTCA operations will have been curtailed in almost EVERY MICROLIGHT TRAINING SCHOOL IN SOUTH AFRICA!!!!!!! I know that for sure by the end of next year, there will only be new microlights flying legally in SA....... There will be NO NEW AUTHORITIES TO FLY, BECAUSE NO AP WILL SIGN ANY PLANE OUT!!! And Andre Swanepoel has advertised for 2 POSITIONS IN HIS DEPARTMENT!!! The add's ran in Sunday Times and Rapport newspaper 3 weeks ago. Guess what, they (CAA) are getting ready to do their rounds in January............
4. Part 62 has been passed by CARCOM, with closing date for comments YESTERDAY.............the lack of communication from Aero Club/MISASA
for informing the industry that a document as important as Part 62 TS final draft was delivered to carcom some time ago................ Have you read it ?! you can download it off CAA's website........... It is more difficult to get a hang glider licence now than it was for me to get my PPL in 81
! Now let's talk, see here, you can fly a powered hang glider without any part 24 nonsense, and you can fly a powered paratrike without any part 24 nonsense...But, take the same Rattex 582 engine that is mounted in a tandem paratrike, very, very smart and fancy trike undercarriage (yup, just looks like your Raptor) and then take a Hang glider wing, put them together and call them a microlight weight shift, and bingo presto you get part 24 and all the associated nonsense....How, how, how I ask you, did Aero Club and MISASA let this illogical nonsense happen...........
I was part of the original draft from MISASA for part 62TS, and I remember holding my head in my hands and saying to Annie, what on earth is happening to our sport....This is just so 'overkill'.....But like a lamb to the slaugher, I just carried on drafting this huge overkill document which is just so crazy for microlighting, especially Trikes........
Now, I support the 3 of you fully, but I believe your support for the current bodies as bodies of people capable of dealing with legislative matters for microlighting (read trikes) is energy spent in the wrong direction...........
Misasa is still a great bunch of guys, but is almost a useless tool to fight legislation. I have stated this opinion time and time again. By all means keep MISASA, and use it just as a social club, endorsing championships, events at club level etc., but darn it Chris, we need a breath of fresh air to tackle the short term future, and unfortunately the current framework of representation just does not cut the grade.
And now MISASA has changed it's name to include MI -SA (Sport plane Association)-SA.........
Aish, trikes are just being sold further and further down the river.......... I am so dying for a new energized body to look after trike pilots. I don't care if it takes 6 years, but we have to get trikes away from LSA. Get trikes back to basics, back to owner maintenance and owner discretion............And then educate the owners...........Annual Instructor and AP seminars...........think tanks on how to reach all trike pilots (yup, all, not only computer owners and computer literate folk, but the folk who are only in touch via postal addresses, make sure they are educated in the maintenace of their trikes, the maintenance of safe flying, reminding them of little things that tend to be forgotten..................
but I agree Chris, we first need a commitment from everyone, within their own hearts and minds, to support and stand firm...........and be proud again............ And I have found this committment across the length and breadth of SA.........but it is sadly NOT for MISASA or Aero Club:(:( I am afraid they are reaping the rewards of years of poor communication with members.......You were the last of the good guys Chris..............You did wonders with the mag............but even that lies in tatters...................
I have over the past 3 weeks received phenomenal support, both financial and emotional, to restore triking to its former glory
:) So, yes it is not that folk do not want to pay their subscriptions (individuals have pledged 5 times more than current membership fees).......but some-how it just seems that the current body needs to take a back seat...........its all about cycles I suppose...........things come and go..........There is so much I would love to share.........but I know that it would not be constructive......so I'll leave it for the trash-bin:):):)
I was ready to help, but my calls are not taken, let alone returned...........a sure-fire recipe for winning back old members.........
:(Kind regards to you guys.
....enjoy your last 2 months and 8 days of legal flying........
David
. Dave I pledge my support to you and Anette, I know this is not the first time you have asked for support and I'm afraid that its almost to late 
. What is the next step ? Please lead us to the solution. Now is the time for everybody to support the one man that can make a difference in our sport . Dave you have to take the lead here and tell us what you need from us next , financially and physically !
