Hearing expected on Oppenheimer aircraft inspection

Two South African Civil Aviation Authority (Sacaa) inspectors are facing a disciplinary hearing after they conducted a safety inspection at Fireblade Aviation, the Oppenheimer family’s commercial VIP aviation company. A Business Day report says the two inspectors, Johann Hattingh and Tamlin Govender, are now being thrown under the bus after they were apparently ordered by the authority to do the inspection after the Sacaa received a whistle-blower’s complaint regarding a contract with the Zambian Government. Fireblade in turn objected to the Sacaa’s higher authorities about the inspection after it became clear that the inspectors were aware of the details and name of the whistle-blower and his report. The whistle-blower is still employed by Fireblade. He apparently aired concerns about how Fireblade handled a contract to provide a helicopter and pilots in November 2022 for President Hakainde Hichilema’s by-election campaign in Zambia. At the heart of the concerns about the Zambian contract was that the Agusta A109 helicopter was provided under part 91 of the Sacaa regulations. The International Civil Aviation Organisation, which provides the legal framework, also contained in the SA Aviation Act and regulations, determines that an operator can only provide flights for non-commercial operations without payment under part 91. It mostly provides for aircraft owners’ private flights, and the flight rules and regulations are more lenient. As noncommercial operations, the operator is also unable to receive compensation or reimbursement for flights. The moment a flight or contract for flights is paid for, it becomes a commercial transaction conducted under part 127, which regulates commercial helicopter operations of passengers and cargo for payment.