Clubs and members will be interested in the following key points from Saturday’s BMFA AGM which for ease of reading I have summarised below.
- BMFA membership fees were agreed as:
- Seniors: £38 (no change in recognition of the introduction of £9 CAA registration fee)
- Juniors: £17 (no change)
- Family partners: £25 (up £2)
- Family Juniors: £13 (no change)
- BMFA Membership numbers, as anticipated are down by approximately 1900 which reflects the impact of the uncertainty this year resulting from the DfT/CAA proposals and the ageing membership.
- Membership Cards: Following the introduction of the GoMembership system last year a number of members have asked about membership cards. The BMFA has negotiated a new scheme with Vectis that will enable members to gain discounts at high street stores via a dedicated BMFA membership card. The scheme is optional to members and there will be a small administration charge for the card. Details will be available soon and as ever Ts and Cs apply.
- There was a 2018/19 surplus of £36,957
- There are approximately 900 clubs in the country so if every club recruited 2 new members the trend would be largely reversed. Next May’s FlightFest will be an ideal opportunity to promote our hobby but more of that in the new year.
- CAA Registration: The details of the Drone and Model Aircraft Education Registration Scheme (DRMAES formerly DRES) are being worked out with the CAA and the position remains that Dave Phipps or Andy Symons will publish information as and when it becomes available. The clear messages from the AGM were:
- The outcomes of the lead role played by the BMFA is a lot less onerous than feared, a view fully endorsed by those present. There is now a dedicated BMFA web page as the ‘go to’ source of information. Go to https://rcc.bmfa.uk
- For the 2020 member renewal process it would be helpful if clubs included the £9 CAA fee when collecting their members’ subs and then returned this to the BMFA. The BMFA have agreed with the CAA that they will download the information at the end of January and the CAA will then directly issue via e mail to members their registration number. Members will need to provide their e mail addresses and agree their personal data can be forwarded to the CAA. Again refer to the BMFA webpage for definitive information.
- Please don’t speculate on what is or isn’t happening, progress is being made and meetings are being held regularly with the CAA who are working co-operatively.
- The on line test is very simple and should pose no problem in successfully completing.
- A very straightforward ‘Quick Start Guide’ to model flying/operation of unmanned aircraft will be included in the January BMFA news.
- 30,000 people, mainly drone flyers, have already completed the CAA test.
- Insurance: Thankfully the level of claims is low and it is likely the rebate of circa £28,000 will be awarded.
- Club committees will be interested to know that Club insurance is being reviewed and the excess may rise from £250 to £1000.
- Information will also be forthcoming to Club Committees regarding their members who fly without CAA registration.
- Other bits and pieces:
- Ian Pallister was elected as Chairman for 2 years
- Congratulations to Vernon Hunt who was awarded a BMFA Fellowship for his long and outstanding service to Control Line Combat both nationally and internationally.
- East Anglia Area AGM: our own Area AGM on 28 November has already been advertised so do come along, you will be very welcome to discuss the many developments in the life of the BMFA and East Anglia.
Paul Hoey
BMFA East Anglia Area Delegate.
