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Introduction Sefofane's core business is flying people to remote bush airstrips. We have been doing this for almost 20 years. Providing air transport into these remote bush locations presents a unique set of challenges in terms of safety issues. Knowing and understanding this, we continually set about examining our business processes relating to safety. Sefofane has over the years kept abreast of the latest safety standards and implemented them - this approach has put us at the forefront of the niche we operate in - air transpor t to remote ecotourism destinations. While we cannot hope to explain everything in one short document (one audit we do consists of over 400 questions) we hope to explain some of our initiatives below and put your mind at rest. If you have fur ther questions we are always available to provide answers.
The Sefofane Fleet
Our fleet, operational in 5 countries (South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe), includes almost 50 aircraft, including Cessna Grand Caravans (C208 B), C206s, C210s, C402s, Pilatus PC12 and a Citation Mustang Jet. Each aircraft has unique performance characteristics which determine its performance and payload carrying ability.
Luggage and Safety Our aircraft are not airliners - relatively speaking they are small. This means we have small baggage stowage bays and restrictive weight limitations The Sefofane luggage specifications are as follows: - Soft (all sides) luggage/duffel bags - with no rigid sides or wheels
- Maximum luggage weight is 20kg (including all carry-on luggage if more than one bag and camera equipment)
- Maximum luggage size is 25cm x 30cm x 62cm

Single Engine Aircraft Safety
The aircraft in our fleet, whether single engine or twin engine, are specifically chosen for their suitability to the type of airstrips that are found in the remote locations in which we operate. The single turbine engine of the Cessna Grand Caravan C208 B, which constitutes a large por tion of our fleet, has been proven to have an excellent safety record. The Caravan is powered by a Pratt and Whitney PT6A engine – which has a record as one of the most reliable engines ever built. We take our maintenance seriously and we only ever use factory approved engine maintenance facilities. Many of the airstrips we operate out of are about 1000 metres long. In order for most twin engine aircraft to achieve a margin of safety in the event of an engine failure during take-off, they need about 2000 meters of runway. For this reason we believe that in our environment the single engine aircraft provides us with equivalent safety to the twin.
Organisational Responsibility for Safety and Safety Management
The Sefofane Group addresses the responsibility of safety through a centralised depar tment in each region super vised by a specific safety officer or a designated safety representative. Safety guidelines, policies and procedures are communicated to staff through documents, manuals and regular training sessions in a professional training environment.
In each region, the designated safety officer / representative complies with the necessary safety qualifications (required by the relevant Civil Aviation Authorities) and operates and applies the safety monitoring in line with ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organisation) standards. Sefofane manages their responsibility towards safety according to a Safety Management System (SMS), which is recognised in our industry. Frequent training exercises are done in order to ensure all staff are kept current on safety issues and emergency procedures.
All aircraft are maintained as per the local civil aviation and manufacturers requirements in addition to ad-hoc audits performed by relevant Quality Assurance depar tments
Satellite Tracking System
The majority of our aircraft are fitted with a real time satellite tracking system. With this system our base has a constant update of each aircraft position, airspeed and altitude. Apar t from the obvious safety benefit, it also means that our operations staff is able to keep camps accurately updated as to our arrival and depar ture times. This we do to keep our ser vice levels as high as possible at all times.
Engine ConditionTrend Monitoring System
Most of our Cessna Grand Caravan C208 B fleet is fitted with an engine trend monitoring system which allows the maintenance organisation to monitor engine performance of individual aircraft. This system will detects any abnormal shifts in engine performance, and provides us with diagnostic information to timeously attend to maintenance issues before they become concerning.
Maintenance
Sefofane Air Char ters as a group use selected Civil Aviation Authority (CA ) approved maintenance organisations in each country. Aircraft in the Sefofane Botswana, Sefofane Zambia and Sefofane Zimbabwe fleets are maintained by Nor thern Air Maintenance (NA M) of which Sefofane Air Char ters is the parent company. Aircraft are maintained according to regulated maintenance schedules as stipulated by the relevant CA s and also in accordance to manufacturer requirements. Nor thern Air Maintenance is recognised as the foremost provider of this ser vice in Botswana and included amongst its clientele most air charter operations based in Maun.
Audits
Each Sefofane operation and their Aircraft Maintenance Organisation (AMO) are audited annually by the CA in the relevant country of operation. In addition to this, Sefofane Botswana and its maintenance division, Nor thern Air Maintenance, are also audited annually by an independent recognised NGO. In all audits to date we have been found compliant to local and international maintenance control standards.
Training and Employment There is no safety substitute to having well trained pilots. At the outset, Sefofane only employs pilots that hold valid commercial pilots' licences. After selecting pilots, we embark on a major training process. In order to gain employment with Sefofane, an individual is required to go through the following process:
- A written exam: The individual will have to sit a written exam of roughly 100questions, which relates to the individual's general knowledge of aviation.
- Licence: The individual's licence details are double-checked and confirmed. Nophotocopies are accepted, individual must produce the original licence. Log Book is also checked to confirm individuals experience on various makes and models of aircraft.
- Interview: Provided an individual has met the minimum pass requirement set on theexam, and has a valid licence, the interview process begins. The interviews are conducted by the Sefofane Managing Directors of the various territories. The interviews may also be conducted with the assistance of the General Manager, Operations Manager, Safety Officer and the relevant training department.
- Flight School: A check is done with the individual's flight school, or previous employer, to confirm no incidents/accidents have taken place. References are checked.
- Test Flight: Individual carries out a flight test with either the Chief Pilot, Senior Training Captain, Instructor, or one of the senior Sefofane pilots. Should the individual meet the criteria as set out above, they will be offered employment with Sefofane, provided they can complete the Sefofane training program.
- Probation: Once employed, our pilots undergo a further 100 hours of instruction and flying under supervision in order to understand all aspects of the Sefofane air operations. (During the first 10hrs of training the new pilots will receive intensive instruction, as well as grading on their performance). Further assessments are then done by means of route checks before any pilot is allowed to fly with guests.
- Proficiency check: Once employed, pilots must pass a proficiency check every 6 months.
Insurance Cover - Aviation Passenger Liability General Details are as follows :
Type of Insurance: Aviation Passenger Liability Insurers: Lloyd’s of London/Santam Insurance Company
Insured: Sefofane Air Charters and / or Subsidiary and / or Associated Companies
Period of Cover: From 1 March 2009 to 28 February 2010 (Both days inclusive)
Interest: To indemnify the Insured in respect of legal liability to third parties (Bodily Injury/Property Damage), including passengers, baggage legal liability/personal ar ticles and including cargo legal liability arising out of ownership, maintenance or operation of aircraft whilst in flight, not in flight, ingestion and taxiing.
Jurisdiction: Worldwide
Territorial Limits: Sub-Saharan Africa
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