The SAAF Forum

Man skuldig ná hy gesprekke oor vlugte afluister
2011-08-06 00:00
Johannesburg

’n 52-jarige sogenaamdevliegtuigkyker(plane spotter)van Boksburg, mnr. Julian Swift, is gister in die plaaslike landdroshof skuldig bevind op twee aanklagte wat met sy tydverdryf verband hou en tot tien maande tronkstraf of ’n boete van R5000 gevonnis.
Sy skuldigbevinding spruit daaruit dat hy onwettig meegeluister het na gesprekke tussen die beheertoring op die O.R. Tambo-lughawe en vlieëniers.
Mense wat hulle met dié tydverdryf besig hou, neem byvoorbeeld al die vliegtuie van ’n lugdiens af, of byvoorbeeld alle Boeing 747’s wat by ’n lughawe land.
Sy inhegtenisneming en hofverskyning het wêreldwyd opslae gemaak omdat “plane spotting” oor die wêreld heen ’n erkende tydverdryf is.
‘Plane spotting’ is ’n tydverdryf waar mense vliegtuie, sweeftuie, helikopters en ander tuie waarneem en dan die registrasienommers daarvan in ’n logboek aanteken.
Daar word gewoonlik opgelet na die vernaamste kenmerke van ’n vliegtuig. Die enjin mag dalk ’n spesifieke dreuning hê, of die intensiteit van die dampe kan aangeteken word. Die grootte van die vliegtuig, asook die nommer, tipe en posisie van die motore is ook belangrik.
Ander kenmerke waarna opgelet word is die spoed, die posisie van die kajuit, kleurskemas of enige toerusting wat die silhoeët van die vliegtuig kan verander. Al dié kenmerke help om ’n vliegtuig te identifiseer.

Die Burger

I have been asked to post the following submission from a friend of mine, Wolfram Zwecker, a journalist with the Afrikaans daily newspaper Beeld. He was unable to get his reply published to this forum from his own e-mail account. Wolfram has been following this case for some time and is a regular reporter in Beeld on matters aviation.

This is an excellent summary of the outcome of the court proceedings…

Regards

Morne

To start with, the Magistrate Magamba indicated that this case should never have come that far. He didn’t elaborate any further.

Julian was charged with 17 counts of contraventions of some Icasa acts, some act from the 50"s etc. At a previous appearance some of the charges were scrapped because they were duplications. Yesterday he was found guilty on charges 7 and 16 and not guilty on 8, 10, 12 and 17.

Charge 7 was contravention of sec31.1 of act 36 of 2005 i.e. used a radio to intercept communications on 118.6 Mhz.

Charge 16 was possession of an unlicenced radio. That’s sec 34.1 of the same act.

The run-up to being found guilty was the following. (and some of this is my interpretation of what Magamba said):

Julian was at the wrong place at the wrong time and the radio comms was the cherry on top.

The cops stopped next to Julian to warn him that that spot is a crime hotspot. While speaking to him they heard the coms on the radio. I can imagine that had the cops on their toes (remember it was just before the world cup and (Police Commissioner) Cele and everybody else told them it is going to be a safe world cup.)

They arrest him, go to his house and find maps, photos of airport etc, (what more does a eager police detective want?) next minute he sits in court.

Yesterday Magamba made a point to indicate that freq 118.6 (the one he was listening to) "belongs" or is registered in the name of Atlas Lugvaartkorporasie and controlled under the Icasa legislation. (I suppose it’s the same as that 94.7 FM "belongs" to 94.7 Highveld Stereo).

Magamba was of the opinion that there is a reason why it is "registered" to somebody and that that licence holder has a right to have his "property" protected. (That is also why he was charged with all the other frequencies 118.1 etc. but the state couldn’t prove that he was listening to those other freq. and charges were scrapped.)

Charge 6. illegal radio: It boils down to "ignorance before / of the law is no excuse". Reading between the lines he implies that buying a radio at a "specialist" shop should get you asking questions. Point is: you can’t buy that radio that receives 118.6 at Dions or Pick & Pay. Fact that he bought the radio from Amanda van der Mollen without being asked for a licence or told that he needs a licence could be compared to buying a car without a drivers licence. Who's fault is that, if any at all.? Fact is if you drive a car without licence you are illegal.

As to the internet liveatc.com. he made no reference to that, but I suppose that could be the same problem as Wikileaks and Julian Assange and his publication of American secrets. In America he is wanted for treason, but the internet server sits somewhere else. Same here, server to listen to liveATC.com sits in America.

Adv.Schalk van der Sand has already indicated that he is going to appeal and the date was set down for 18 Aug.