FlyingVizsla

 

 

(iv) The President, Secretary and Treasurer shall form the Executive of the Association and

 

shall be responsible for all matters relating to the affairs of the Association whenever the

 

Board is not meeting and, subject to any decisions of the Board, shall make all the

 

decisions necessary in relation to the Association's business and shall act in the case of

 

emergency.

 

 

 

It appears to me that we could have a Gordian knot situation here: no Executive to act as the delegated authority of the Board, and no legitimacy for the Board to make controlling decisions. For how long, do people think, will CASA politely ignore that situation?

I will have to read the CASA Deed to see if a full Executive is the only means of satisfying the Deed. However the Executive is only required for decision making when the Board is NOT meeting (my emphasis in your quote). It is concerning that we find ourselves a little short on Executives - only by one at the moment and there is currently nominations and election under way (although deadlocked last I read). Turbo may be able to shed light on the Deed requirements.

Sue

If Ed Herring resigns on Thursday, it appears to me that the Board cannot function, since a quorum of the Board under our constitution requires 'at least two members of the Executive' to be present. The Board would not HAVE two members of the Executive to BE present, since it would not have either a President or a Treasurer.

Also applicable is By-Law No.11 Number of Board Members Present for the Establishment of a Quorum for Voting. Ballots returned unmarked or not returned, or withheld due to pecuniary interest - the member is considered not present and therefore not counted in the quorum. If they are abstaining and write that on the ballot, they are still counted.

Once a year, all positions are declared vacant and nominations called to fill them. If it was the case that the Board could not function without the quorum, then it would be impossible to conduct this election.

RAA is still functional.

There are anomalies in the Constitution, By-Laws, ORS material etc. It does need a good rewrite.

Sue

 

 

Touchdown from The Flying Rock Doctor, based in Wynyard, Tasmania. I fly a red Foxbat A22LS exploring the magnificent landscapes of Tasmania. Very interested to hear members' views on the latest CASA ruling on attachment of external cameras...

 

 

 

Cheers

 

Gary

Hi Gary!

:welcome:Welcome to the forums.

"Flying Rock Doc" - does this mean you're a geologist? Tassie has been on my list of To Do places, but not in Winter (Central Qld and I am buried under several layers and it's not Winter properly yet). How do you handle flying sub zero?

What is the CASA ruling on external cameras? We are thinking of recording some scenery so we can skite to non flying friends, so this will be interesting, as well as choice of camera etc.

I have only flown a foxbat once. Nice plane. My husband loves red, so you're on a winner already.

Cheers

Sue

RAA is an incorporated association in the ACT. Have a look at the FAQ for Associations - here: http://www.ors.act.gov.au/community/associations

You will see that they do not get involved in internal disputes. If illegal activity is suspected the police have jurisdiction; activities contrary to the Constitution may be brought to the courts by members.

The Office of Regulatory Services (ORS) does not wind up organisations other than on these grounds:-

"The ORS is empowered to cancel the incorporation of an association if there are grounds for believing that the association is not in operation, has fewer than five members, was incorporated as a result of fraud or mistake or has not, within the preceding three years, convened an annual general meeting or has not lodged an annual return with the ORS for each of the last two years." - Associations Incorporations Practice Manual

RAA can voluntarily wind itself up by special resolution of the members.

You need to read The Constitution, The Act & Regulations, the Associations Incorporations Practice Manual, the Deed with CASA before you can start to understand where RAA stands.

The RAA, because it is a National body is also registered with ASIC and has an Australian Registered Body Number 070 931 645.

Sue

What about a separate thread for Flight Training Facilities (FTFs) developing their RAA supplied template into a Safety Management System (SMS)?

Sue

The Public Officer has to be over 18yrs and reside in the ACT (that means none of the Board members are suitable). This person is the contact for the Office of Regulatory Services for any information (legislation changes, returns required, lodged etc). The Public Officer lodges the Annual Return which includes the Audited accounts, among other things. The position does carry some responsibility - The Public Officer must "certify under 79(1)(e) of the Act that the particulars ..... are true and correct ...." In recent years this has not been the case (membership numbers overstated, some anomalies in the books).

The Public Officer is also responsible for conveying the changes and responsibilities under the Act to the organisation and lodging returns (changes of office bearers, etc). I regarded it as a senior position and was a little concerned that it had been left to the Office Manager, who has no direct authority with the Board who are charged with keeping the organisation compliant. I am much happier to see the GM has the position.

Sue

Wondai airstrip is made up of a number of freehold lots and one reserve (looks like it is for drainage).

RP83494 Lots 3, 4, 5, 7 & 9

FY1831 Lot 233 (runs diagonally across the strip)

If it does go up for sale it will be harder to purchase every lot. I have not checked the zoning.

Best strategy is to lobby the Councillors to ensure they understand how important the airstrip is and make sure it is used. Assisting with reducing their costs would help. I know of one other strip where the Aero Club undertake nearly all the maintenance (mow, poison, clean toilets, minor maintenance, check strip) which saves the council labour and travel costs. The Council gets the message that it is a used & valued facility.

I am not sure that on-line petitions will count for much because "anyone" can sign. The local petition with ratepayer's signatures cuts more mustard.

Sue

.... commas had better stop lining up like that or you will be ..................

"Where's that in the SMS?" asked the ....

So does this mean the members only portal information has now been posted on a public forum? ;)

The finances are supposed to be reported to the membership every 6 months and there is a statement to the end of Dec 2012 with this month's magazine. This initiative (monthly reporting) is going beyond what is required and goes a long way to openness.

If you can look at the P&L on the RAA site, it will show a great deal of detail - for example - that the Secretary's Expenses were $22.28 to the end of March. With a bit of work, you can ascertain if the various endeavours are paying their way - like ASIC cards, or what things cost eg meetings, before calling for more face to face meetings, insurance per seat, GYFTS donations.

The Governing Bodies forum is only viewable by registered RecFly members. It isn't as public as the rest of RecFly (thanks Ian).

I have the Annual Statements from RAA covering 2007 to 2012. I am happy to email them to any RAA member. Just ask.

Sue

Visited the RAA members' portal and found the Profit & Loss ending March 2013, with a promise to post each month's P&L (hoping this continues). It shows a profit (without depreciation).

I am singing & dancing, because the new format gives lots more information than what I could glean from the Annual Statements. The groupings are different so it was not as easy to compare to the Annual. I have attached a file which shows the % of revenue & expenditure. As expected the majority of our funds come from members (memberships, rego, insurance, GYFTS) - CASA's contribution is tiny 3%. Expenditure - Employee costs are our biggest, followed by Insurance. The next biggest (which I called Merchandise) is the cost of producing things for "sale" - magazine, caps, log books, Tech manuals etc. Note that the list next to each chart is sorted from biggest to smallest - things with a zero were left out.

Now a summary of how we are travelling to date (extrapolated to 12 months to compare with last year)

• Memberships down to 95%
   
   
  
• Rego down to 85%
   
   
  
• Advertising up 21%
   
   
  

• Employee Expenses - no change (includes $25k recruitment)
   
   
  
• Insurance up 6%
   
   
  
• Merchandise down to 88%
   
   
  
• Legal expense up 33%
   
   
  
• Computer system more than doubled - "IT support & Website Upgrade" = $13k
   
   
  
• Airshows more than doubled, but we did have Qld & WA this year
   
   
  
• Accident Investigation - tripled
   
   
  

This new format is very detailed and easy to understand. I would encourage all RAA members to have a look. There are few places to hide the whiskey now and I will be keeping an eye on it and commenting.

Full marks to Mark (new GM), or whoever, for putting this out to the members.

Sue

RAA finances March 2013.pdf

RAA finances March 2013.pdf

RAA finances March 2013.pdf

"Pilots have to send a photocopy of their log book after each BFR" .???????

This only applies to have a GA AFR recognised by RAA.

Sue

I didn't like the way the appointment was done. I had expressed my views in an earlier post. Ethics are important, putting yourself outside looking in and asking if this seems right. It doesn't to me. Put yourself in the shoes of existing staff, volunteers, members. There may have been people who could have filled the position immediately under an Expression of Interest, with their position backfilled by a temp until a proper job description and performance criteria was established and due process for recruitment undertaken. Putting someone into a position without due process gives that person a huge advantage to be appointed to the permanent position and was a favoured way of getting around the rules in regulated employers like local governments.

In my industry we have certain "required" positions, however several roles may be discharged by one person. RAAus could have nominated the two Tech/Ops managers as SMS compliance reps for their respective areas (which I suspect is already in their job description), and if the job is too much, engaged assistants to help with the day-to-day work. Just appointing an Officer and having a Plan doesn't guarantee compliance, as I have experienced many times in my job.

I was hoping for the bright new dawn of openness and ethical behaviour. Ahh well, there's always tomorrow.

Sue

No wonder we are finding ourselves in trouble in ALL areas.

They haven't started on pilots & training yet. That's a minefield. Pilots have to send a photocopy of their log book after each BFR. How many of them will show hours logged beyond the last BFR's currency? Cross country without an endorsement? HP, LP, TW, NW without endorsement, no HF past the deadline? Holes in the training syllabus records for students? Missing CFI signatures. How much of this could be picked up by an audit of log books to get statistics to prove a case for a more thorough audit similar to the groundings we have just experienced? CASA may already have this from recent ramp checks.

The Ops team do their best, but you just can't help some people, and they can't be everywhere all the time. It is becoming more about record keeping than flying. Not just flying - I have noticed the shift in my industry - 20 years ago we went to site with good intentions. Now we have to develop and present 16 "plans" before we are allowed on site, get external audits every week, month, audit ourselves, have employed people to audit, check, train, photograph, test, record and prove on paper that we did the job. All adds to the cost. Expect a fee increase for RAAus members.

Sue

The CofA has been cancelled. To discover this you have to download the whole register from the CASA site as the quick search only shows a summary. Don't know how expensive it would be to restore the CofA. The engine is dismantled awaiting reassembly - suggests to me it is either not suitable for a rebuild or it is expensive.

Sue

Did a google search - see photos here - looks like Tas Aero Club.

http://www1.airliners.net/search/photo.search?cx=partner-pub-8297169501225184%3Aa05n2n-tzky&ie=ISO-8859-1&q=24-4544&sa=Submit&search_active=1&search=&sheadline=&search_field=datedesc&submit=&siteurl=www1.airliners.net%2Fphoto%2FTasmanian-Aero-Club%2FJabiru-J160%2F1076060%2F%26sid%3D6706e4d74f584636e4b3b6caaa90f8c1&ref=www1.airliners.net%2Fsearch%2Fphoto.search%3Faircraft_genericsearch%3DJabiru%26distinct_entry%3Dtrue%26sort_order%3Dphoto_id%2Bdesc%26page%3D41%26page_limit%3D15%26sid%3D6706e4d74f584636e4b3b6caaa90f8c1&ss=2091j864521j7

I grew up in Murgon, always happy to see some pics of the area. Looks like a great day for it!

Sue

There should have been consultation with the Board. Cobble together a job description, call for expressions of interest for a temporary position with possibility of extension, closing in a week. A small panel to consider them, a teleconference to finalise - how hard would that be? What about existing staff and temporaries who might be able to fill the role immediately?

This is why we need people with a managerial background, or at least an understanding of the rules & regs that govern the organisation. There's also the possibility of getting interested people together to form a "S-T-C job recruitment" team to handle trimming to a short list. Some things could be done concurrently. It could be done quickly and transparently.

Had the correct process been followed and had the same appointee, I would have been satisfied. This one will forever have a dark cloud over it.

Sue

Does anyone know if there is an input device for a PC that is similar to the radio transmitter control box for R/C models?

I have MS Flight Simulator X Gold, and my husband - an old model flyer - would like to use a familiar input device rather than joystick or GA type controls. I have asked around locally, but our two gaming shops and the R/C model shop haven't heard of them.

Any help appreciated.

Sue

..... that infamous evening at sunset, when the Plumeria rubra var. acutifolia 'Cooktown Sunset' was deflowered while ..............

.... clustered around the smoldering remains of yet another failed vine & bamboo flying design, the pre AUF Chapter of the Cooktown Pterodactyl Flyers were conspiring to move the FN'FNQ boundary to 16 degrees South. "We's don't want them Southerners in Cairns tell'n ewes wot to do. We's ar leeving that to the kiwis."

"The last buggar resigned, an we don't want anyone outside FN'FNQ to represent us, so whose gunna nominate for the Bored job?" An elderly flyer raised a skinny hand and a hush fell over the assembled crowd. "I ......

Nothing much to see or do there, just read news & minutes. Annoying that you have to go "back" to back up the tree and enter the various sub-sections. No forum and no on-line member/plane information - yet.

Interesting reading - appendix to the Minutes of March 13 - the cost of NATFLY meeting ($20,700) and EGM ($13,500). Middo's letter / notice of meeting = $4,950 + $4,340 + part of stationary costs? $1,700 was the largest cost. Another interesting point - the committee of 4 looking to restructure RAA has had 2 resign. The financials for March are there, and monthly updates promised.

Sue

Hi Keith,

You're in Southern Qld. The line is about 200km north of Rocky. It runs right through the middle of Moranbah, which could be interesting for residents. Sarina is the first big coastal town in FNQ, then Mackay. Dajarra is in western FNQ. Boulia, Winton, Clermont, Rockhampton are all SEQ.

As for "out of area" reps. I can see how this might be OK. Imagine an outstanding individual who has spent years in FNQ, then retires to live closer to the Grand kids. Still visits FNQ, but resides in say NSW with time on his/her hands and now wants to make a bigger contribution. The person still needs to be nominated by FNQ people, regardless of where they live. If you think they are a ring-in, don't nominate them.

The other problem with the smaller population areas is getting someone to stand. For example NT has been without reps and anyone who stands is unopposed. The bigger areas with more than one rep - there are some who get a seat and leave all the leg work to the other bloke. Places like WA are too big for one person to get around to everyone. The system isn't ideal, but it is what we have to work with now.

Anyone know who our candidates are?

Sue

An amazing site for RANS aircraft - http://ohiobushplanes.com/1/ Go to Videos, Other and watch "It's A Rans Man" (now I can't get that tune out of my head) or Videos, Flying and watch the Aerocross (taking off and landing on little strips all over the place in a few minutes). The RANS is a versatile little craft. The official RANS site is www.rans.com

Here's one on floats.

If you like tail draggers a RANS Courier S7 is a kit that goes together like a mechano set & within your price range. There was one on floats in Australia. Very happy with ours.

Here's a photo of it in Redcliffe Qld in 2009

http://www.edcoatescollection.com/ac1/austb/VH-BJL.html

Sue

Sue, like I said, my dubious maths, and to think that, 55 years ago, I was top of the school in the subject. How times change.

Sue