"Does the SAPS not have anything better to do than harass GA pilots?
In the last week, I have heard of two separate incidents where the SAP arrived at an airfield and demanded from pilots all the documents that should be carried on their aircraft. Following are examples of documents that should be carried. Airworthiness certificate, mass and balance, release certificate, radio licence and radio licence receipt, pilot’s licence, and if you are stopped just before takeoff or after landing, the actual mass and balance calculations for that specific flight.
At one airfield last week, eight policemen arrived in three separate vehicles from SAPS head office in Pretoria . They only found two pilots at the field and after questioning these pilots, the policemen said that they would return on Saturday to check all the rest of the aircraft at the field.
In another incident last week, it was reported that a pilot had his licence suspended when the police reported him to the CAA for not complying with the regulations. The pilot did not have all the documents on hand, and the CAA suspended his licence. The pilot will be forced to re-write the air-law exam before his licence will be reinstated. What nonsense.
The questions that have to be asked are:-
1. Why is the SAPS chasing around the country on this sort of paper trail, when people are being murdered, raped, hijacked, robbed and more?
2. Why is general aviation being targeted? I can understand if the SAPS was to check commercial airlines in the interest of air-safety for tourists and domestic passengers, but what is the motive behind checking general aviation?
3. Why do we pay the CAA levies, including R3/litre levy in aviation fuel? Surely the checking of documentation is its responsibility and if so, why has it delegated this role to the police?
4. What training have these people had to investigate these issues? One policeman asked the pilot of a Piper Cub, 'what kind of aeroplane is this?' Then he asked ‘why does this plane have a ZS registration, and that one over there have a ZU registration?’ Would these policemen even know what a weight and balance calculation looks like?
5. The SAPS has often used the excuse that it does not have enough vehicles to get to crime scenes on time or conduct patrols. Even if it does have vehicles, it does not have sufficient petrol to drive around in them. Why then does the SAPS send three vehicles all the way from Pretoria to investigate aircraft at airfields more than 50 km away?"
- and sorry to say they see $$ signs when they see and aircraft. 
...... kinda like debating the similarities between a landing strip and a fire break........ 
We flew the receipt out to the airfield and they let it proceed. 