The Gov't, CAA, BMFA & UAV legislation thread

[John Lee]

It used to be a bit of a pain to verify if a Member had separately paid their BMFA fees before the new portal was launched, but that is no longer the case.

In the past I missed out on a January flying session in Club No2 as my BMFA Membership Card had not been distributed by Club No1 where I paid my fees. Now you can pay your BMFA & instantly print off you Membership Card & all your Clubs can see that you have paid.

The only thing to watch is that you have at least 5 Members pay through the Club to ensure that you remain an Affiliated Club with its attended benefits.

[Chris Berry]

Nigel, there is no benefit to the club. The only difference is that rather than being a country member on your ticket it will list you as a member of that particular club.

It makes no difference either way. The benefits to the individual are exactly the same but the workload of the club secretary is a lot higher with all members paying through the club.

[Martin Harris - Moderator]

It seems much simpler for any BMFA affiliated club to hold its AGM after the BMFA sets the next year's rates as I suspect that most clubs collect membership fees either at or after their AGMs - and don't most give the option to register their members with the BMFA as part of the process?

Once the member threshold for affiliation has been reached, the only "benefit" I can think of is that your club carries proportionally more influence on a BMFA vote, such as the NFC EGM.

 

Edited By Martin Harris on 01/11/2019 13:36:44

[Lima Hotel Foxtrot]

Posted by David P Williams on 01/11/2019 12:10:20:

There's an ad on the BMFA classifieds where someone's taking a £750 hit selling his new unbuilt jet kit because he doesn't want to pay £9 a year.

Madness.

Good grief! I just had a look... What a drama queen! I think a lot of people need to take a deep breath, calm down, grow up, get a sense of perspective and pick their teddy bears up.

[Chris Berry]

Posted by Lima Hotel Foxtrot on 01/11/2019 13:35:53:

Posted by David P Williams on 01/11/2019 12:10:20:

There's an ad on the BMFA classifieds where someone's taking a £750 hit selling his new unbuilt jet kit because he doesn't want to pay £9 a year.

Madness.

Good grief! I just had a look... What a drama queen! I think a lot of people need to take a deep breath, calm down, grow up, get a sense of perspective and pick their teddy bears up.

I know. There must be more to it. If you’ve ordered a jet then you are a serious modeller so £9 is nothing and a quiz could be done with eyes shut.

[Cuban8]

There is no need to complicate this. Take your club membership fees and BMFA together during November, December or January and pay the BMFA portion en bloc before the end of January via the portal. The club acts as an agent for the BMFA so you are covered whilst the club holds the money for a short period after Jan 1st .Think it's sixty days, can't remember but it's plenty of time to sort the administration and keep people insured. Been doing it this way for years, far easier than messing about with a piecemeal approach.

Edited By Cuban8 on 01/11/2019 13:42:42

[Martin Harris - Moderator]

Posted by Chris Berry on 01/11/2019 13:40:28:

Posted by Lima Hotel Foxtrot on 01/11/2019 13:35:53:

Posted by David P Williams on 01/11/2019 12:10:20:

There's an ad on the BMFA classifieds where someone's taking a £750 hit selling his new unbuilt jet kit because he doesn't want to pay £9 a year.

Madness.

Good grief! I just had a look... What a drama queen! I think a lot of people need to take a deep breath, calm down, grow up, get a sense of perspective and pick their teddy bears up.

I know. There must be more to it. If you’ve ordered a jet then you are a serious modeller so £9 is nothing and a quiz could be done with eyes shut.

You have to question whether this is someone with more money than commitment to the hobby. No serious modeller would give up for the sake of the price of a standard servo...

[Former Member]

[This posting has been removed]

[john stones 1 - Moderator]

Posted by Steve J on 01/11/2019 14:18:03:

Posted by Lima Hotel Foxtrot on 01/11/2019 13:35:53:

Posted by David P Williams on 01/11/2019 12:10:20:

There's an ad on the BMFA classifieds where someone's taking a £750 hit selling his new unbuilt jet kit because he doesn't want to pay £9 a year.

Good grief! I just had a look... What a drama queen! I think a lot of people need to take a deep breath, calm down, grow up, get a sense of perspective and pick their teddy bears up.

That's not just the teddy, it's the rattle and dummy as well. Still, it's got me thinking about a positive aspect of this registration and testing business, there could be some good stuff going second hand and club waiting lists may be a bit shorter.

Steve

Keep you eyes peeled for Teddies with buttons in their earholes, worth a few bob.

[John Bisset]

Possibly whoever is selling off the jet suspects that flying faster, possibly heavier machines like jets could get harder to do in future, following this start of 'official' interest. We in the UK do seem to have a growing national tendency to presuming that any activity we don't personally like or get involved in should have 'someone' from officialdom required to oversee or give permissions !

Also as we seem to be much more risk averse than of yore, there are more people prepared to complain about presumed risk or personal disturbance.

Maybe this was just the last straw - it is sad.

[Nigel Heather]

Posted by David P Williams on 01/11/2019 12:10:20:

There's an ad on the BMFA classifieds where someone's taking a £750 hit selling his new unbuilt jet kit because he doesn't want to pay £9 a year.

Madness.

I’d hazard a guess that he was planning on selling it anyway and is taking advantage of the moment to make a point.

Cheers,

Nigel

[Bob Cotsford]

Posted by Nigel Heather on 01/11/2019 16:57:44:

Posted by David P Williams on 01/11/2019 12:10:20:

There's an ad on the BMFA classifieds where someone's taking a £750 hit selling his new unbuilt jet kit because he doesn't want to pay £9 a year.

Madness.

I’d hazard a guess that he was planning on selling it anyway and is taking advantage of the moment to make a point.

Cheers,

 

Nigel

If it's the Mirage, maybe he's realised it won't fit in his car, that or his Missus caught sight of the bill? It just says 'genuine reason for sale', is that not the one being discussed or has the description changed? I don't see any evidence of teddy whanging now.

Edited By Bob Cotsford on 01/11/2019 17:10:29

[Former Member]

[This posting has been removed]

[Bob Cotsford]

Posted by Steve J on 01/11/2019 17:20:48:

Posted by Bob Cotsford on 01/11/2019 17:09:49:

If it's the Mirage, maybe he's realised it won't fit in his car, that or his Missus caught sight of the bill? It just says 'genuine reason for sale', is that not the one being discussed or has the description changed?

The wording of the advert for the Mirage 2000 has changed at some point in the last three hours.

Realised he's sounding a bit of a plonker then!

[GrahamC]

Having just watched the NATS training video....

A shame that the figure is shown 'checking his drone' by holding it with his hand and arm inside the arc of the props!

[Andy Symons - BMFA]

Posted by Nigel R on 01/11/2019 08:50:29:

so remind me, we have to

1) pay £9 to BMFA at renewal time, sometime before Jan 2020

2) a BMFA multiple choice test (yet to go live) to do at time of paying the extra £9 for non-holders...

3) ...unless you have an A or B certificate

4) sticker with magic number inside each airframe

and that's it?

Pretty much, the test has been approved by the CAA, just working on building in to the membership portal now, once it's there you will be able to take it any time you choose. Will also be available offline through the team of BMFA examiners.

[Andy Symons - BMFA]

Posted by john stones 1 on 01/11/2019 12:05:44:

Keep calm and carry on.

Been a long slog this drone thing, start talking the hobby up, walking around feeling sorry for ourselves is self defeating. Go out n do what you enjoy.

Can we have a like button please!!!!!!

[Andy Symons - BMFA]

Posted by Cuban8 on 01/11/2019 13:41:09:

There is no need to complicate this. Take your club membership fees and BMFA together during November, December or January and pay the BMFA portion en bloc before the end of January via the portal. The club acts as an agent for the BMFA so you are covered whilst the club holds the money for a short period after Jan 1st .Think it's sixty days, can't remember but it's plenty of time to sort the administration and keep people insured. Been doing it this way for years, far easier than messing about with a piecemeal approach.

Edited By Cuban8 on 01/11/2019 13:42:42

Actually its much easier and better all round if the club goes on the portal and updates the memberships as soon as possible, the member gets an email immediately with his membership documents then, also any other clubs that member is in knows straightway that he has renewed.

[Andy Symons - BMFA]

3) Due to GDPR we doubt that the BMFA will be able to pass on Members details for registration with the CAA without their express permission. It may not be possible for the Club to give that permission on their behalf, we will wait & see.

As long as the club makes it clear that by paying the £9 they are giving consent to be registered with the CAA its not a GDPR problem. Just a tick box on the joining/renewal form.

Edited By Andy Symons - BMFA on 01/11/2019 21:16:42

[Michael Adams 3]

Hi, I may be getting a bit forward of my time but I do not understand what is going on with the CAA.

All of the problems with getting a permit to fly with a plane over 250g, can any one explain to me if some

one goes to a model shop or a show like Cosford and buys a plane plus all of the extras to fly it , then joins a club how can he learn to fly ? because he has not got a permit to do so, how is he or she going to learn.

I watched a video from the BMFA showing how to pass an A certificate, the plane was a new one with tricycle under carriage ailerons flaps rudder & elevator, the two planes I have are the j. sixty & super 60, both are converted to electric, motor rudder & elevator only. how am I supposed to do what that plane did??

My other planes are the two Radians, controls are the same, so what do I do to pass the test, safety is common practice, all I want to do is go to the field and have an enjoyable fly for a couple of hours, it seems the CAA just want money, or to get rid of us we are no where near any major airport,

[Andy Symons - BMFA]

Posted by Michael Adams 3 on 01/11/2019 21:25:48:

Hi, I may be getting a bit forward of my time but I do not understand what is going on with the CAA.

All of the problems with getting a permit to fly with a plane over 250g, can any one explain to me if some

one goes to a model shop or a show like Cosford and buys a plane plus all of the extras to fly it , then joins a club how can he learn to fly ? because he has not got a permit to do so, how is he or she going to learn.

I watched a video from the BMFA showing how to pass an A certificate, the plane was a new one with tricycle under carriage ailerons flaps rudder & elevator, the two planes I have are the j. sixty & super 60, both are converted to electric, motor rudder & elevator only. how am I supposed to do what that plane did??

My other planes are the two Radians, controls are the same, so what do I do to pass the test, safety is common practice, all I want to do is go to the field and have an enjoyable fly for a couple of hours, it seems the CAA just want money, or to get rid of us we are no where near any major airport,

We had a meeting with the CAA implementation team on Wednesday. It is very likely there will be an exemption to the registration requirements for those ona buddy lead or under close supervision.

Both the juniot sixty and super sixty as rudder elevator are very capable of passing the A test. The radians you could take the Silent Flight Electric A with too.

[Michael Adams 3]

Hi again I forgot to mention there are only 2 of us and we are country members, no club with in a very long distance to travel, we are really lucky the farmer lets us use a field with his permission.

Also as if the police have not got enough problems with lawlessness, now they can chase us to see if we have a permit to fly. what ever next.

[Andy Symons - BMFA]

Posted by Michael Adams 3 on 01/11/2019 21:38:23:

Hi again I forgot to mention there are only 2 of us and we are country members, no club with in a very long distance to travel, we are really lucky the farmer lets us use a field with his permission.

Also as if the police have not got enough problems with lawlessness, now they can chase us to see if we have a permit to fly. what ever next.

Also no problem. Take the extremely easy online test and register with the CAA when you renew your BMFA membership.

No need to worry about the police either. You are only likely to see them if you are flying where you shouldn't.

[Former Member]

[This posting has been removed]

[Kevin 216]

Posted by Andy Symons - BMFA on 01/11/2019 21:13:52:

Posted by Cuban8 on 01/11/2019 13:41:09:

There is no need to complicate this. Take your club membership fees and BMFA together during November, December or January and pay the BMFA portion en bloc before the end of January via the portal. The club acts as an agent for the BMFA so you are covered whilst the club holds the money for a short period after Jan 1st .Think it's sixty days, can't remember but it's plenty of time to sort the administration and keep people insured. Been doing it this way for years, far easier than messing about with a piecemeal approach.

Edited By Cuban8 on 01/11/2019 13:42:42

Actually its much easier and better all round if the club goes on the portal and updates the memberships as soon as possible, the member gets an email immediately with his membership documents then, also any other clubs that member is in knows straightway that he has renewed.

Andy - I pay my BMFA sub using the Go portal and not through the club, I hold an A certificate. Will the BMFA still collect the CAA fee from me and register me s a operator?