South Africa's Amendment 36 Signed Into Law: GA Community Reflects on 18-Month Regulatory Battle

South Africa's Amendment 36 has been signed into law by the Minister of Transport, with the supporting Civil Aviation Technical Standards subsequently released by the South African Civil Aviation Authority. The development concludes an 18-month regulatory process that began with the withdrawal of AIC 18.19 and mobilised a broad cross-section of the general aviation community, including the Part 91 Collective, an informal grouping of private aircraft owners, pilots, engineers and technical specialists who organised, researched international regulatory practice, attended meetings and prepared submissions.

Writing in a follow-up open letter to the general aviation community, author Des Waerden described the outcome as sensible and outlined lessons learned. He acknowledged constructive engagement from within the SACAA, cautioning against characterising the regulator as an adversary, while criticising industry coordination for poor information flow, conflicting approaches between groups, and personalities that at times impeded progress.

Waerden raised the question of who genuinely represents private aircraft owners, recreational pilots and flying clubs in regulatory decisions, arguing that recognition of South Africa's existing aviation associations should not be confused with representation, and that commercial and private aviation interests do not always align. He stopped short of calling for a new association, urging instead effective representation through an existing body, better inter-organisational cooperation, or a permanent coordinating forum. He also pointed to the absence of younger aviators from regulatory discussions, urging flying schools to teach the regulatory framework alongside technical skills, and argued that general aviation's health directly affects commercial aviation because the airline pilot pipeline depends on a functioning GA training and career pathway.