MISASA

The Microlight and Light Sport Aeroplane Association of South Africa

MISASA is the national flying club that represents all microlight and light sport aeroplane pilots in SA.

MISASA is run by a Committee that is guided by a constitution and which is elected annually by the membership at an Annual General Meeting. There are approximately 1,200 Pilot members of MISASA who renew their membership on an annual basis. MISASA membership fees are due on 1 January for each calendar year. There is no pro rata rate for part or late payment.

About MISASA and the Aero Club of South Africa.

MISASA maintains a focus on matters relevant to microlight and light sport aeroplanes and their pilots. We share African Skies with aircraft of all types and as such the co ordination and facilitation of matters of a general nature are undertaken by the Aero Club. The one without the other would not achieve the aims and objectives of the two together. Given that the Aero Club represents all forms of aviation it has the responsibility to collective market all the sub-sections and is accountable via the Board of the Aero Club to the membership. The Board of the Aero club is made up of representatives of each of the sections of the Aero Club.

ABOUT MISASA
Our aircraft have a distinct look, feel, sound and personality.

Vision
A world in which we capture the emotion and soul of the early days of flight and in which together we work to give voice to enhanced sophistication in safe recreational aviation.

Operations
Technology enhancements continuously improve in-flight safety and capability and this has extended the “home zone” of our aircraft from the proverbial cabbage patch to that of a global adventure.

Many pilots fly our aircraft from dawn to dusk not having ventured more than 10 Km from their home base, whilst enjoying the delight of a perch in the sky from which to take in the splendour. This includes that of coastal sea life, the cosmos fields of SA, the thrill of mountain ridge soaring or just sampling the breeze offered by the freedom of “Flying African Skies”. Over the past year the contrasts between the spectacular around the world adventures of some of our “pioneer pilots” and everyday flight have narrowed considerably. Flying the African skies is now a reality for many of our members. More and more pilots fly into central Africa and to Europe. The sophistication of the aircraft that we fly truly is making the world a smaller and more accessible place, at a much more affordable price.

Why Join MISASA?
Welcome to our world, a passionate world of recreational aviation pleasure. Do join us; we will exceed your expectations for fun, adventure and camaraderie amongst like minded people within our established recreational aviation community.

Goal for the year ahead
Indeed it has been a red letter year. We were granted our ARO and with thus we commit to vigilance in service delivery. Our membership numbers currently approximate some one thousand plus pilots. This said, our numbers may in fact, by July 2012, rise by another 500 or so pilots. This firmly places us as the largest sub-section of the Aero Club. Our response to this is that we undertake to establish a system of performance audits in which we all, as sections of the Aero Club, submit to performance audits so that the membership, have their rights to service delivery met, in full, each and every year.

Our Constitution and ARO enable us to stand for responsible and accountable airspace governance structures without over regulation. Measurable service delivery and accountability is thus our goal for the year ahead.

Our Advocacy Role

We acknowledge and recognise aviation excellence through the granting of appropriate awards and designations.
Through our active communication channels we encourage air mindedness, safety, aviation excellence and we give a collective voice to the interests and rights of pilots and enthusiasts alike.
Our members provide financial support to the Aero Club of SA who are charged with the responsibility to maintain interfaces with stakeholder structures such as the CAA, RAASA, Weather Services, Dept of Sport & Recreation, FAI via CIMA and Air Traffic Services, to name a few.

Communications
We maintain membership and external communication channels via print and electronic media enablers including:

    * A quarterly 52 page full colour magazine
    * An up-to-date website
    * An open Facebook page
    * Support to appropriate chat forums
    * An annual ±3 hour DVD “Flying African Skies”
    * An events information website that is not restricted to aircraft type
    * An “open door” to committee members who are all volunteers
    * A variety of events offer opportunities to network and participate in projects

Advice
Experienced pilots pool information on technical & training matters etc for the good of all and they provide up-to-date information/advice via our communication channels on learning to fly, NPL Conversions, What to buy etc

Events and Projects
We have recently seen a world record established for the number of Bantam aircraft at a single fly-in. The number that attended was 48 and this reflects on the ever growing popularity of this aircraft and our sport. To Andrew Pappas, the Bantam agent, we extend our hearty congratulations not only for the event but for his total dedication to his customers.

Current active projects include:
* Anti-poaching pilot support
* Tracking systems to anti-poaching units in Mpumalanga & K-Z N

Competitions
Maintaining and acquiring the resources needed to stage competitive flying events and facilitating, through the Aero Club, the award of national and MISASA colours. This year, we have held our regional “Starters Masters” competition and in September we will be staging the annual national competition.

Group Benefits
We work towards securing volume and other related discounts and benefits that are passed on to the membership and which are posted on our website.

Committee Participation
All members have a standing invitation to attend all committee meetings and by invitation members may attend special committee deliberations that are held to define policy or set targets.

Awards
Recognising excellence through awards remains a part of our culture. MISASA Feather Awards have been awarded to:

Braam Hechter (2009) at the CAA for consistently going beyond the call of duty in attending to the needs of our members.
Mike French and Pierre Conradie (2009) for establishing and organising a new highly successful annual fly-away event; The Ezulwini Fly-away ( K-Z N North Coast).
Francois Burger (2009) for services to members and for establishing a much needed and spectacular airfield at Sodwana.
John Waterson ( 2010) for going many extra miles to assist our members with aircraft matters.
Paul Lintott (2011) for stepping up to the plate to assist a fellow pilot in need.
Koos de Wet (2011) for selfless devotion and leadership in the anti-rhino poaching initiative.
Les McMaster (2011) for leading the creation of one of the most successful annual fly-ins: Swartkops.
Andrew Pappas: (2011) The Pied Piper of recreational aviation, leading the way in after sales service.
Wendy Hicks (2011) for running the MISASA Wild Coast Gaggle Galaxy "engine room."

Aero Club Administrative Services
The Aero Club is charged with rendering a variety of services to our members and sadly, these services have been seen to be lacking. Our concerns have been reported to our members and have been raised with the Aero Club. A package of interventions have been promised to address the enhancement of their service delivery to our members

The core matters that the Aero Club are charged to perform include:
   •   Maintaining an up to date membership information database.
   • Issuing Aero Club membership cards that detail sub-section affiliation and identify current pilots for a variety of reasons.
   • Maintaining accurate and up-to-date financial records that relate to the fees that they collect on behalf of MISASA.

Regalia
On a rotational basis, items such as the following are supplied or made available to members:
   * Caps
    * Flight Suit Badges
    * Vehicle Badges
    * Renewal Date Stickers
    * Aircraft Stickers/Cautionary Notices

In addition to the above we provide a variety of regalia in our online store at www.misasa.co.za where suppliers are invited to showcase products that they offer at a discount to our members.

Pilot Memberships - R630: Open to pilots and others that are paid up members of the Aero Club of South africa. Joint membership renewal is available through MISASA. Members receive Aero Club membership credentials and enjoy all benefits that the association has to offer. Membership fees are due for any given calendar year commencing on 1 January and are not prorated.

Co-Pilot Membership - R150: Open to enthusiasts, inactive and or foreign pilots. Members receive the quarterly membership magazine, Microflight Africa, may subscribe to news feeds, join fly-aways and are permitted access to controlled areas during events and competitions. Co-pilots receive membership badges. Membership fees are based on the number of magazines to be suplied during any given year. The cost of foreign postage is added to the R80 for non-SA co-pilot addresses.

The CAA

To fully appreciate the reasons behind how experimental aircraft are governed in South Africa, one needs to spend some time on all the processes leading up to the formation of the Recreational Aviation Administration of South Africa( RAASA) and also unpack the interaction and relationship between the SACAA and RAASA. During the period of Mr Zakes Myeza being the Commissioner/ CEO of the CAA, a decision was made to concentrate all oversight efforts on large transport aircraft, and meet State safety objectives in line with our ICAO responsibilities. The FAA/ IOSA audits presented a unique opportunity to the CAA to proof compliance against International Standards, supporting and ensuring the safety of the large numbers of tourists that would be visiting SA during the world cup soccer. It was during this period leading up to the Soccer World Cup that the Board of the CAA, accepted and passed a decision that the Recreational fraternity should be outsourced and essentially be able to look after itself in the form of a Designated Body.

The decision was not taken lightly, after all, a huge responsibility would be passed on to the organization that will be tasked to ensure safety and oversight on behalf of the CAA. The decision was also sanctioned by the Minister of Transport, culminating in some of the activities transferred in terms of a formal agreement and contract, National Pilot Licenses/ Renewals of Authorities to Fly were moved to RAASA starting the processes. For all intents and purposes RAASA can therefore be called the Regulator of Recreational Aviation in South Africa, not an uncommon principle in terms of world best practises.