Stakeholders

Organisers

This refers to any person or group of persons that has set themselves the task of arranging and presenting a special air event to the public.

Safety Officer / Air Boss

The Safety Officer / Air Boss is the person appointed to oversee airside safety at a special air event. The SO's main duties are to promote the safe conduct of airside and aerial activities and also to manage the size and complexity of the flying displays.

Municipalities / Metro's

This refers to the local municipality to whom application needs to be made to present a public event within their municipal area. Usually they are also the custodians of the relevant airfield / airport.

Stall owners

These are the vendors that attend the air event with the purpose of selling their various goods. Usually they pay the organisers for the right to erect their stall at the venue.

Press

Press includes printed media, electronic media (e.g. On-line magazines), Television and Radio.

Photographers

This refers to professional photographers, so accredited, who attend the air event with the purpose of taking pictures for various printed and on-line magazines and newspapers.

Air Show Commentator

An Airshow without an announcer is like a movie without a sound track! (Old ancient Chinese proverb).

The air show commentator is an integral part of the show. The power to make a mediocre show great and a great show outstanding lies squarely in his / her ability to entertain. This individual or group of individuals are also there to share info, regarding the aircraft, pilots and support staff, with the visitors to the show. In the event of an emergency the commentator needs to be able to implement disaster management, calm the spectators and share relevant information with them.

Emergency Services

Emergency services include fire and medical services that are present at all air events. They have the responsibility to respond to any medical, or other, emergency, be it someone from the public or one of the air event participants.

South African Police Services (SAPS)

The SAPS shall be involved in monitoring the safety and security aspect of the event. They are also tasked to enforce the Regulations of Gatherings Act 205 of 1993. The SAPS will be represented in the Venue Operations Centre (VOC).

Security Services

Security services will be present in the form of a private security company that will be deployed to do access control at various sites at the venue. The security company will assist in securing the crowd line and ensuring the safety of all spectators.

Traffic Control

Traffic control can include provincial, municipal and private marshals that are charged with the free flow of vehicle traffic to and from the event.

Paramedics

A paramedic is a healthcare professional, predominantly in the pre-hospital and out-of-hospital environment, and will act as first line responder to any serious medical incident.

South African Air Force (SAAF)

The SAAF will be represented at certain air events and will include display pilots, safety officers, liaison officers, various ground support staff and various aircraft and vehicles.

Air Show South Africa (ASSA)

Air Show South Africa is a section of the Aero Club of South Africa (AeCSA). The main purpose of ASSA is to support a safe, successful and sustainable future for air shows in South Africa. Their aim is to showcase aviation to the vast rural communities of South Africa. ASSA provides a wealth of industry "best practices", air show knowledge, resources and shared experience from its members.

Air Show South Africa (ASSA) Official Members

Official members are made up of display pilots, safety officers, program managers, media representatives, photographers, air event organisers, ramp managers, aircraft owners and various support personnel. As a unit it has a wealth of information at its disposal and that is used to support the Special Air Event industry in South Africa.

Air Show South Africa (ASSA) Public Members

Public members, of ASSA, consist of aviation enthusiast from all ages. These are the very people that ASSA strives to entertain at all the air events. Two different categories are available namely Adults – Aviation Enthusiast and School Members – Young Falcons. Pre-School children are catered for in the Kiddie Zone.

Air Traffic Controllers (ATC)

The function of an air traffic controller, at an air event, is to keep the skies safe by directing all air traffic to the air event, during the air event and all aircraft leaving the event at the end of the day. They ensure that proper separation is maintained between the various aircraft.

Service Organisations

A service club or service organisation is, usually, a voluntary non-profitable organisation where members regularly perform charitable work either by direct hands-on efforts or by raising money for other organisations.

Programme Coordinator

The responsible person appointed to observe, manage and co-ordinate all airside officials and participants through feedback from the SO, ATC, EMS, Fire, Marshalls, Security etc. He is also responsible for compiling and managing the air display program.

Ramp Coordinator

This person is responsible for controling the display aircraft in the aircraft park. His duties include the clearance of display aircraft to a holding area where the ATC or Safety Officer will take control. Once the relevant display has been completed and the aircraft is on the ground and clear of the runway, the Ramp Coordinator will once again take over and ensure that the aircraft taxi's to the appropriate parking spot.

Aircraft Owners

This refers to the persons who own the various display aircraft. Some owners might own more than one of the aircraft at an air event and have different pilots doing the display flying. The owner may also be the display pilot or part of a full display team.

Sponsors

Some may argue that the sponsor may be the most important person at an air event. In many instances this may be true as without these individuals or organisations these air events would not take place. The saying of "Please Support Those Who Support Us" comes to mind.

Flying Clubs

You will find these clubs at just about every airfield throughout the world. There is usually a membership fee involved and regular meetings take place. These clubs are usually the entities that initiate Special Air Events. This is also where aviators and aviation enthusiasts gather to share aviation stories and socialise with one another.

South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA)

This is a stand-alone authority which has the mandate of controlling, promoting, regulating, supporting, developing, enforcing and continuously improving levels of safety and security throughout the civil aviation industry. The SACAA resorts under the Department of Transport (DoT).

The SACAA achieves its mandate by complying with the Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), whilst considering the local context.

Airports Company of South Africa (ACSA)

ACSA was registered as a company in 1993. South Africa privatised all the major government managed airports throughout the country and tasked ACSA with managing them. ACSA is thus responsible for all aspects relating to the running and upkeep of these airports on the Air side as well as the Public side.

Service Providers

Service providers are those persons or organisations that are there to provide a service to the public. These include but are not limited to, Sanitation- , First Aid- , Fire- , Protection- , Public Announcement- and Public Transport services. They are usually the first to arrive at an event and also the last to leave.