One of the functions of our Accident and Incident Reporting System (AIRS) is to alert us to any emergent trends.

Over the past six months, we have seen an increase in pilots, specifically PG2, flying without the required supervision. This has been occurring at sites around the country, but at two popular sites in NSW in particular – Long Reef and Stanwell Park.

We have had cases of PG2 pilots either not disclosing that they are supervised pilots, or even misleading an instructor or duty pilot about their supervised pilot status, claiming they were PG3.

New pilot supervision requirements
This is an extremely risky stage in your progression as a new pilot, and we would like to explain why we require you to be supervised by a suitably qualified pilot.

While you have undergone training and your instructor has determined that you are competent and knowledgeable enough to operate outside the confines of a school, you have yet to develop the skills to pilot your aircraft in everyday, real-world conditions.

You also have not developed the skills and knowledge needed to make good decisions regarding flying conditions and how these apply to the site you have arrived at.

As such, you must operate under appropriate supervision.

I ask you to reflect on this – you are not indestructible! Some of the pilots who have been involved in accidents have suffered some pretty nasty injuries with long-term consequences.

Before you arrive at a site, you should call the club that manages the site to introduce yourself. They would like to know where you learnt to fly and when, what flying you have done since your course and what gear you have.

They will also let you know of your requirements before you arrive, discuss possible flying days and who you can seek out as a possible supervisor prior to flying.

You can find a current list of clubs and contacts on the SAFA website here.

The role of your supervisor
Supervising pilots are members that have the skills and knowledge to pass on to you, regarding the site itself and the current conditions. They can advise you whether it is safe to fly and, if so, what to watch out for.

Your supervising pilot will give you a site briefing, tell you what traps to avoid and keep an eye on you. Site briefings are required every time you fly.

Weather conditions change constantly, and the briefing you received previously will probably not be valid for your next visit. This is a fundamental truth of aviation – every day is different and noting these differences is part of the learning process that we all experience every time we fly.

Your supervisor should keep an eye out for you whilst you are in the air and alert you if they notice anything wrong. To do this, they will call you on the agreed channel on UHF radio, or one of the SAFA VHF frequencies if VHF airband radios are used.

If you do not have a radio tuned to the channel or frequency in use at the site, you may not be able to fly.

Not just anyone can supervise you, and some pilots may not want to. Taking on the task of supervising a pilot carries a high degree of responsibility and not everyone that is qualified is willing to take that on.

The consequences of not following the rules
If you choose to fly without supervision, you may be reported and receive a penalty, up to and including a suspension, for a breach of operational requirements. Further to this, ALL insurance coverages that SAFA provide are void leaving you, your family and assets exposed to any litigation initiated against you.

Preparations for your flight
Come prepared with all of your equipment, radio batteries fully charged and with the manual for your radio if you do not have the required channel setup.

While in the air, pay attention to what the other pilots are doing, but stay within the flight path parameters discussed in your briefing.

We see reports where new pilots have followed experienced pilots on a course or carried out advanced manoeuvres not appropriate for their wing or experience. This could get you into trouble.

An important point to note, if your supervisor has to leave the site and cannot hand over to another supervisor, your flight is over, and you must land.

After you have landed, seek a debrief with your supervising pilot. Make sure you note your supervisor’s name as you will need to list them in your Online Logbook entry for the flight.

Now some words for supervising pilots
As the Ops Manual states, supervising pilots (Duty Pilots) are those with an Intermediate HG or PG4 Pilot Certificate or higher with either:

• a minimum of 80 hours flying experience in hang gliders or paragliders that are the same type of aircraft being supervised; or 
• a minimum of 50 hours flying experience in hang gliders or paragliders that are the same type of aircraft being supervised, with previous flying experience at the site used on the day.

If you are not comfortable with supervising a pilot, then you are quite within your rights to refuse to do this. Taking on a supervision role does entail taking on more responsibility. You should be prepared to provide a site briefing, keep an eye on conditions and on the supervised pilot. You need to be prepared to call them into a landing if conditions become unsuitable and advise them to modify their flight path if you see potential danger.

To do this, you will need a radio, have agreed on a channel or frequency with the pilot and have conducted a radio check.

Factors to consider when supervising
The level of supervision needed will differ for each pilot: 
·       Are they fresh out of school? 
·       Do they have some hours under their belt? 
·       Are they close to leaving supervised status? 
·       Have they flown this site before?
·       How attentive are they during the site briefing?
·       How is their setup process?

Site factors will include:
·       Is the landing zone in view of launch?
·       Will a particular flight path be obscured and unobservable from launch? 
·       What are the conditions on the day? 
·       Is it busy with lots of other pilots?
·       Are the conditions primo or marginal for a supervised pilot? 
·       Is it mixed ops or one discipline only?

The answers to these questions will determine how closely the pilot needs to be supervised.

If you need to leave the site, is there someone you can handover the supervision role to? If yes, give them a quick briefing and let the supervised pilot know who they are handing over to. If not, then you must direct them to land.

Please remember that you are not there to provide instruction. If you feel that the pilot is asking for instruction on any matter, refer them back to their instructor.

They have been judged competent to manage their gear and fly, and you are there to make sure the conditions are safe for them to fly, and that they do not stray into danger.

Take the opportunity to debrief the pilot as it is important for them to gain experience.

As you can see, acting as a supervisor entails a bit more than just saying it’s ok to fly and leaving the pilot to their own devices.

To wrap-up, the system of supervision is there to assist new pilots in the critical first hours of their progression as pilots. Please, do the right thing and fly within the system – it is there for your safety and welfare.

Kind regards,
 
Iain Clarke, Safety Management Officer, SAFA