The AeCSA - Awards Ceremony Goitseona Diale Speech 2024
Goitseona Diale Incoming Chairman
23.11.2024
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Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.
To the Aero Club of South Africa Members, to each and every one of you representing each our 13 sections, our sponsors SANTAM and DJA whom we appreciate so much, the Civil Aviation Authority and the board of the Aero Club of South Africa, it is an honour spending this day with you all. We congratulate all award recipients this afternoon, as well as the nominees.
To the flying clubs, sponsors, other aviation organisations and departments, the spouses, partners, brothers, sisters and all the family and friends who stood by the recipients and the Aeroclub of South Africa, cheered all of us on, helped us get here today - this is your day, as well. Let's give them all a big round of applause.
If there is anyone out there who still doubts that the Aero Club of South Africa is a place where the spirit of recreational aviation lives, who still doubts that the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the function of our sections and clubs. Today is your answer.
It's the answer showcased by lines that stretched around airfields and intersections in numbers we have not seen before; by people who wait 2 to 3 hours, many for the first time in their lives, to secure a seat behind the crowd lines at the many incredible airshows that have swept across our nation - because they still marvel at the breath-taking aerial manoeuvres of some of the best pilots in our industry.
It's the answer spoken and acted upon by the volunteer's, members and supporters of our local clubs and sections, who wake up in the early hours of the morning to prepare the grass, untangle the chutes, build and repair the flying machines, protect and guide the pilots and the ones who travel across the world showcasing their skills on the world stage- re-assuring the world that the home of flying in Africa is still alive and strong in South Africa, where it will be and where it will continue to grow in leaps and bounds.
It is in 2024 that the Aero Club of South Africa reaffirmed its presence in general aviation, through your support and representations of our various sections that we continued to host events, participate in legislative processes, support initiatives that are helping to develop the aviators of tomorrow and through some of the recipients who are here today, represent our beautiful nation on the world stage.
In 2024, the AeroClub sections hosted more recreational flying events such as the breakfast fly inns, spot landing competitions, radio flyers days, youth development events, gliding and aerobatic competitions and many more special social gatherings. We have also seen sustained participation of our National Teams in international spaces and competitions, I wholeheartedly believe this to have been a great indication that general aviation is alive and strong.
This year the Aero Club of South Africa has again, been able to organize our annual Airweek celebrations, this year we were celebrating 104 years of the Aero Club, the air week which has become a signature event for all our recreational aviation disciplines to display our various activities, to showcase local general aviation businesses and enjoy the camaraderie between all of us.
We still intend for Airweek to become an established aviation event in Africa, a personalized Oshkosh of some sorts, although on a smaller scale.
We specifically would like to thank the Middleburg Aero Club and all the sponsors who have continuously supported this event and we are excited to see you in 2025.
Our presence at AERO Africa since its inception, is still a work in progress. Our relationship with AERO is positive and I'm excited for the future of their event.
Our relationship with the Civil Aviation Authority has never been better as we work through various aspects affecting our industry and General Aviation at large.
Although deliberations remain tough and long, through mutual understanding and collaboration we have navigated through many requirements to preserve our freedom of flight and continue to provide our members and the general aviation ecosystem the privileges we deserve.
The Aero Club and CAASA still remain as the very few industry participants on a number of forums and strategic contributors to legislative processes. However - there is still much work to be done, as regulations and the requirements continue to evolve, as well as international benchmarks being imposed by the FAA and EASA adding additional red tape - some that may threaten to affect our industry and activities - We continue to make good progress and we can assure you that all our efforts are being heard and the CAA still reaffirms its support of our activities.
The Aero Club is growing and the general aviation landscape continues to develop. As we continue to expand, more people are realizing the importance and value of our organizations position in this country.
The Aero Club also continues to support our members with the on-line ATF renewal support initiative, which improves the quality of documentation supplied to the CAA which ultimately improves the turnaround times. We have engaged with the CAA on the merits and robustness of the system as a mechanism to lessen the overall cost and time with the view of eventually achieving some level of autonomy in processing ATFs.
I tell you all this because it is important to note progress and reaffirm to our members that we are working on many projects in the background. To deny how far we have come would do a disservice to the preservation of free flight in South Africa, to all the passionate aviators, the incredibly accomplished and world-renowned local aviation manufacturing businesses but especially to you who are still committed to the many activities you have found excellence in.
The Aero Club of South Africa would like to congratulate all the recipients and nominees alike today, as we gather here today to celebrate your unwavering spirit to share and grow this passion, we all deeply dedicate ourselves to. Many of you did not start with substantial financial support or endorsements but you continued to persevere and shine in your respective activities because you deeply entrenched yourselves in what the spirit of aviation really is. The long hours of planning, the early mornings on weekends, the monies you have spent and the outpouring of pure love of aviation you have continuously displayed to all those around you.
The unrelenting passion and spirit of aviation that led all of you to be honoured here today.
This is the very same spirit we hope to maintain and keep burning in the next century of the AeroClub's existence.
This is the same relentless passion that moved two, somewhat crazy individuals, to fly a locally developed light sports aircraft around the world to showcase the spirit of South African Aviation, the same relentless spirit that allows genius engineers from Potchefstroom to continuously create one of the world's best gliders, the same relentless spirit that motivates people to run off cliffs and hang on chutes held high by the air we all breathe and play in… It is the very same spirit that has kept us all in-love with aviation for more than 10, 20, 40 and some for 60 years.
Thank you to the Aero Club Council for your support and efforts this year. We have consistently come together to lead and grow our organisation, participate in robust conversations and dedicated our time, energy and ideas to our members whom we love and serve.
We have learned a lot from each other, even when times got frustrating, you still showed up to the meetings and continued to dedicate yourself to projects and organising matters in your respective sections. Because I know our work has not only helped our members and industry but it has also provided the impetus for some of those we will honour today to continue to excel and participate in their areas. You have showcased that each one can make a difference, to hitch your wagon to something bigger than yourselves.
To the council, I thank you once again for the opportunity to serve as the vice chairman of the Aero Club. Your messages of support and the guidance are so deeply appreciated, and I assure you that I will continue to serve without condition because of your confidence and unwavering support.
I extend my heartfelt gratitude to the Exco, Our Chairman - Rob Jonkers, Honorary Treasurer - Iaan Myburg, Exco Member and new Chief Information Office - Louis Standford, Head of Marketing and Stakeholder relations - Nadine Brooker and lastly our amazing office staff Sandra and Salome. In particular Walter and Louis who have carried the weight of all the advocacy matters and have dedicated more time on the various regulatory forums than I can count on a timesheet. We have all guarded against cynicism, and the only thing that makes me prouder than all the good that we have done, is the thought of all the amazing things that we are still going to achieve from here.
Many thanks to the Birchwood Hotel for the facilities, the food and drinks we will enjoy. And thank you to the sponsors who have contributed to the success of this event.
Thanks to Sandra Strydom for always putting together our awards functions from event planning to facilitating the certificates and as well as Salome for your consistent creative contributions and assistance. To Frank Eduard as the Awards Co-ordinator with the Awards Nomination Committee, for the research and developing the citations for all our recipients and keeping the awards register up to date.
We have come so far, we have seen so much, we have achieved so more. But there is so much more to do. So today, let us ask ourselves - If the Aero Club of South Africa should live to see the next century; if your hangar doors should remain standing for decades; if your sections grow to every corner of this country… What feeling should they inspire? What legacy should they carry?
This our moment, this our time as an organisation and our chance as members - to share our passion, camaraderie; to report prosperity of our organisation and promote the preservation of free flight; to reaffirm that out of the many nations in our continent, WE ARE THE HOME of GENERAL AVIATION.
And where we are met with cynicism and doubt and those that ask “What does the Aero Club do for me?”, we will respond with the relentless passion and spirit we are celebrating today.
Thank You.
World Rally Flying Championships Brits, South Africa 2022
