SAFA Skysailor Magazine

55 SPRING 2026 | September-October-November SKY SAILOR Enforcing rules: Restoration instead of penalties Punishing pilots for rule transgressions becomes (almost) obsolete with the outlined system. However, clubs serve as the go-between for landowners, other stakeholders, and pilots, craft the rules, and have the not-enviable task of en- forcing those rules. The challenge of rule enforcement is that penalties can strain relationships and undermine an otherwise healthy safety culture. The art of rule enforcement is to protect the rules while also protecting the culture. Many clubs publish their rules along with the consequences of breaching said rules, which often include flying bans. While transparent disciplinary procedures are an important part of good governance, the use of penalties is associated with several potential pitfalls. Penalties teach you what not to do, but rarely teach you what you should do – or teach better behaviour, such as how to take responsibility. Most importantly, many rule breaches are not deliberate acts of misconduct, but the result of forgetfulness, inexperience, misunder- standing, poor judgement, or a failure to appreciate the consequences of an action. Therefore, restoration is often a better system for rule enforcement than pun- ishment: Restoration provides pilots with an opportunity to understand the impact of their actions, take responsibility, and repair any damage caused. At our club, pilots are often given the choice between accepting a penalty or taking practical steps to repair the damage. For example, if a pilot has upset a landowner, we may offer the pilot an opportunity to apologise personally to the landowner and make amends (a gift or other offer of restoration). Restoration has positive flow-on effects for affected landowners, the club and the pilot: The landowners will usually accept apologies and forgive the pilot(s), as they feel respected (again), and the restoration dispels their grievance – something even the harshest punishment cannot. More- over, affected pilots are usually receptive to the restoration approach and often volunteer to apologise without prompting, pre-empting the need to hand out a penalty, leading to good relations between pilots and club committee members. Research in criminology, compliance theory, and aviation safety suggests that