BMFA budget

[David Holland 2]

Nicely put, leccy. I have refrained from comment for fear of moderation.

[Rich Griff]

Thanks leccy Brian....may I ask how is the lotus 7 ?

 

I was expecting you to reply, same as ever....you asked similar questions of a member on here some time ago, I will find it and give it a bump....unless if course it's been removed.

 

Have you sussed out the bmfa advert yet ?

 

Perhaps a new section should be created, "spurious members".....good idea ?

Edited November 3 by Rich Griff
Spelling

[leccyflyer]

10 minutes ago, Rich Griff said:

Thanks leccy Brian....may I ask how is the lotus 7 ?

 

I was expecting you to reply, same as ever....you asked similar questions of a member on here some time ago, I will find it and give it a bump....unless if course it's been removed.

 

Have you sussed out the bmfa advert yet ?

 

Perhaps a new section should be created, "spurious members".....good idea ?

Lotus 7?

 

No idea what you are talking about.

 

Of course you still haven't explained what it was that you found misleading about the BMFA advertisement that you were going on about, so, as per usual, it remains doubtful that anyone reading that knows what you are talking about.

[john stones 1 - Moderator]

Wild guess, I think we may be talking about the BMFA add page 11, BMFA mag, again it's guess work, small model suitable for children, someone may be worried by that, and forseeing a claim in the future ?

[leccyflyer]

Rich Griff was talking about an Ad being misleading and talking about a fine. I'm not seeing anything misleading about a wee capacitor powered update of the BMFA Dart and what on earth would the fine be for?

[RottenRow]

No, he would have been complaining about the blue advert on page 59… the ‘Why Join or Renew’ one.

The printed copy of the mag. has a slightly different version to the online version, and mentions the paper copy being delivered to each member free 6 times a year. The online version has been amended and reference to the free copies removed (and the club bulletins).

 

Old version…
 

 

New version…

 

Really not worth losing sleep about.

 

Brian.

[john stones 1 - Moderator]

I see said the blindman, cheers Brian.

[leccyflyer]

So, where does the fine come in? 

[Nigel Dell]

19 minutes ago, leccyflyer said:

So, where does the fine come in? 

On Pegasus the winged horse flying in over the horizon!
 

There I think I have cleared that up!🤪 do I win a prize. 🏆? 😂

[Erfolg]

I  have found in life, that everything changes with time, todays certainties, turn out to be transitory. Although as aeromodellers we know which way the wind is blowing.

 

We can see that the membership is reducing.

 

We are aware that regulation has increased with respect to our hobby.

 

It is also true that costs to the BMFA and its membership has increased and as energy runs down hill, costs always increase.

 

I do not know the answers to much these days, although it is pretty obvious that it is becoming imperative that the BMFA plans and faces up to near a future with diminishing membership income stream. Something along the lines of a 5 year plan, made available to all the members is required.

 

With respect to the NFC, it should not be the tail that wags the dog. Business often restructures and close parts of the business if they do not make a useful contribution to the bottom line. I am not advocating that it should be disposed of as a concept, a dogma. Nor should it be sacrosanct. Officers time should not be disproportionally be allocated to non core parts of the BMFA. It is for some a nice to have, it could be or become a vanity costly asset or a money maker. If after 5 or so years, it is just braking even, is it worth having? 

 

Although not all members value what the BMFA does for us, the majority do. That is why most clubs insist that their members are BMFA members. It may be primarily as the modellers Insurance broker. Increasingly it is dealing with the Regulators.

 

Our government  called in the UKs biggest drone manufacturer (probably in reality an importer), to discuss drones under 250g and regulation and potential misuse of all personal drones, according to the News Media. I am sure that what is reported is not accurate in some if not all respects, but it will not be for a cosy, tea and biscuits lets be friends. These are areas that increasingly the BMFA have  become involved on our behalf. In the past we have had smoke blown in our faces, there is nothing to worry about, the proposed changes are cosmetic, we will be carrying on unchanged, We all are now aware this was complacency.

 

Yet upper most in my mind, are concerns regarding the need to face up to the realities that appear to becoming near time realties and plan (for at least 5 years). Keep all the membership informed, not just area committees, particularly as most meeting are attended by a handful of people, representing clubs and officials trying to get things done for their members. Plans need to change with the realities that arrive. With no plan we will be like a ship with no rudder, and no destination to aim for.

 

 

[Ron Gray]

7 hours ago, Erfolg said:

If after 5 or so years, it is just braking even, is it worth having? 

Yes.

7 hours ago, Erfolg said:

particularly as most meeting are attended by a handful of people, representing clubs and officials trying to get things done for their members.

Whose fault is that? As has already been explained, the areas were setup as a means of communication down to clubs, if you or your club can’t be bothered to attend then that is down to you, not the BMFA. Go to your club meetings, make sure that your club rep goes to area meetings and reports back don’t just sit back as an armchair warrior and whinge. As a matter of interest, what is your own club’s 5 year plan?

Edited November 4 by Ron Gray

[leccyflyer]

The waves of negativity which threaten to engulf the admirable venture which is the Buckminster National Flying Centre and emanate from certain quarters are profoundly depressing. As has been pointed out, it's surely an important part of the organisation to maintain a focal point and somewhere that can house events, be a facility for the membership to fly - presumably the most important part of this hobby. It's several hundred miles away from me and if I ever visited at all it would be a rare visit, so not something I'd make use of on a regular basis, but I still support a portion of my subscription being used to help run the centre, It beggars belief that such an asset and centre point would not be considered a core part of the BMFA - it is NOT just about the Insurance.

 

It's also puzzling that these repeated claims of not being represented, or not hearing about what is going on, continue to be made, when there are many thousands of words communicated every year by the BMFA and these days the committee and sub-committee meetings minutes and live discussion are readily available via the internet.

[Peter Jenkins]

Well said Leccy.

[leccyflyer]

Thanks for providing the screengrab of the BMFA advert Brian.

 

Not seeing anything misleading there, to be honest and certainly nothing about the magazine being delivered free to members who opt in to receiving a paper copy. It's a choice that one makes on signing up for a year's subscription, just like having a plastic card or not.

 

Of course, that could have been explained in one sentence, when the question was asked.

 

Thank you though, for pointing out what the non-issue was presumably about.

[steve too]

1 hour ago, leccyflyer said:

The waves of negativity which threaten to engulf the admirable venture which is the Buckminster National Flying Centre and emanate from certain quarters are profoundly depressing. ...

 

Can you or one of the other Buckminster supporters tell me what will happen when the lease ends?

[leccyflyer]

Just now, steve too said:

 

Can you or one of the other Buckminster supporters tell me what will happen when the lease ends?

I certainly can't tell you, because I don't know.

 

Might be something to ask BMFA directly about, if it's important to you.

[RottenRow]

1 hour ago, Ron Gray said:

Go to your club meetings, make sure that your club rep goes to area meetings and reports back

Exactly Ron.
 

Club AGM times are coming up for most; if you don’t feel happy with the way your club represents you in BMFA area meetings (or in any other aspect) you always have the option of standing to do that job yourself.

 

Perhaps ‘BMFA Representative’ should be a committee post in all clubs, just like Chairman, Treasurer, Secretary etc.

 

I can imagine the silence when it comes to electing that person at most club general meetings.

 

As far as the National Centre goes, it would have been a lot closer to breaking even if the local authority hadn’t increased the rates on the facility from £17k to £63k over one year, according to the accounts.

 

Brian.

[john stones 1 - Moderator]

I doubt some even attended the EGM to vote on the NFC, given how much noise they made beforehand and since, that speaks volumes.

[Cuban8]

19 hours ago, Ron Gray said:

The Centre is in a position where all weekends through the main flying season are booked for events of one sort or another, not a bad position to be in. Where you get the idea that it is run on a few season tickets I don’t know but I suggest that you read it’s latest blog to get a better idea about what is happening there.

I agree that the centre has a full programme of events that are very popular, and this type of use is a very effective and needed revenue stream. I was just saying that Buckminster will have to rely more and more on large events at weekends or hire of the site to others now and again, rather than losing more lucrative 'paydays' to individual using the place as just a flying field on the day for a few quid in total. I'g guess that a come and fly day, set aside for any of us to turn up and have a day there will lose money.

The place will need to be more commercial and perhaps attract other groups, not just model flyers, who could use the facilities for meets, exhibitions etc that fit in with the site.

My comment was really questioning whether access to ordinary members either with season or day tickets will tend to become restricted in favour of more cash rich opportunities held there on an increasingly regular basis. I'm not too sure where the emphasis is......a site mainly for the members to fly on, or to turn it into something else far more commercial. I guess a bit of each, although it depends on how the Buckminster cake would be apportioned.

 

 

[Tim Kearsley]

2 hours ago, leccyflyer said:

I certainly can't tell you, because I don't know.

 

Might be something to ask BMFA directly about, if it's important to you.

It's mostly important to those who knock the BMFA at every and any opportunity.

[Martin Harris - Moderator]

I don’t recall the exact details but it was a pretty long term lease with an option to renew as far as I remember.   What I do know is that I had severe reservations about the proposal to purchase land and the lease option seemed to be an excellent choice. 

[kc]

Small clubs cannot afford to send  a rep to the BMFA AGM if it involves an overnight stay -it's too expensive.   The club rep system is not democratic - more like the much despised US Electoral College system!   This rigs the decisions in favour of clubs nearby hence building a NFC where it is.  It should be one member one vote.

 

I remember that the idea was to invest SMAE funds into property so they would be available to defend model flying against legislation etc.    Whether buying a lease instead of buying land outright was worthwhile remains to be seen.   Anyone know if the lease to Buckminster is worth more now than when bought?     If instead the BMFA had bought a few fields around population centres ( where flying fields are badly needed ) the land would be worth much more in this housebuilding era!

 

If the Council Tax for Buckminster has gone up by £46,000 has the user fees for it gone up by that amount? 

[leccyflyer]

4 minutes ago, kc said:

Small clubs cannot afford to send  a rep to the BMFA AGM if it involves an overnight stay -it's too expensive.   The club rep system is not democratic - more like the much despised US Electoral College system!   This rigs the decisions in favour of clubs nearby hence building a NFC where it is.  It should be one member one vote.

 

I remember that the idea was to invest SMAE funds into property so they would be available to defend model flying against legislation etc.    Whether buying a lease instead of buying land outright was worthwhile remains to be seen.   Anyone know if the lease to Buckminster is worth more now than when bought?     If instead the BMFA had bought a few fields around population centres ( where flying fields are badly needed ) the land would be worth much more in this housebuilding era!

 

If the Council Tax for Buckminster has gone up by £46,000 has the user fees for it gone up by that amount? 

If land is worth more for house building around population centres where flying fields are needed, how does that work in terms of those imaginary new flyers flying where the houses are built and the liquidity in the land purchase has been realised by selling it and building houses?

[kc]

Land is an appreciating asset ( especially over the long term ) is a lease?     If land had been bought outright and then sold for building obviously money is available to buy more land - maybe just a few miles away.   If one owns land one has the choice keep it or sell.

 

[John Lee]

22 minutes ago, kc said:

Small clubs cannot afford to send  a rep to the BMFA AGM if it involves an overnight stay -it's too expensive.   The club rep system is not democratic - more like the much despised US Electoral College system!   This rigs the decisions in favour of clubs nearby hence building a NFC where it is.  It should be one member one vote.

 

 

Clubs, and individuals, can attend by Zoom at no cost. Clubs can interact, comment, question and vote using Zoom.

 

24 minutes ago, kc said:

If the Council Tax for Buckminster has gone up by £46,000 has the user fees for it gone up by that amount? 

 

If, like me, you had bothered to watch the AGM Zoom live stream you would have learnt that the rates raise was circa £10K pa and has been subject to extensive negotiation and appeals by the BMFA over the years. The Council has now billed us (I say 'us' advisedly, it is our Association) for 4 years back rates rise. The rise is primarily due to the old rates being for a dilapidated equestrian centre, the council now see a much improved and thriving facility.