FMFC Committee meeting Wednesday 7pm 10 th January 2018 Green Park Centre Attendees : Chairman - Arty Fisher. Secretary - Derek Bradford. Treasurer - Tam Dodds. Safety Officer - Jamie Richards Committee Members; Alex Munro, Graham Hathaway, Graham Robertson, Gordon McLaren, Allan Weir. Chair Updates : (Arty) AGM 2017 : The Minutes were issued in Dec 2017, can any amendments please be sent in by 31 st Jan 2018. An amendment will be proposed at the 2018 AGM to add The Committee of the Club shall have power to approve and purchase to the limit of 500 on any single project, thereafter it shall be referred back to the members for approval through an AGM or EGM to the constitution. There were some suggestions for spending club funds for members on, name badges, t shirts, hard-core and a toilet. These suggestions will be considered in line with the spending of the clubs money, however following gaining agreement to fence the field other spending will be prioritised (see Treasurers update). Winter meetings : The next winter meeting on 17 th Jan 2018 is a Simulator night. Tom Laird has offered to bring his simulator and show some training manoeuvres etc. I will bring Realflight on my Laptop and we will have two projectors running so we can see the planes on big screens side by side. Anyone is free to bring their laptop with a simulator on it for others to try, or if you need help setting up your simulator and controller. Tom has a background for our field you can add to Phoenix if you would like this please bring a memory stick so you can have a copy of the file. Secretary Updates : (Derek) Monthly Newsletter : Due to lots of work on the horizon regarding the new developments for 2018 it would be good to do a newsletter which is separate from the business side of the club and the committee work. Derek has offered to take this on, feel free to send items to Derek (thanks Derek). Treasurer Updates : (Tam) Spending and Fees 2018/19 : Projections of spending and fees have been detailed by Arty in conjunction with Tam. Following spending projections, fees will need to be adjusted due to the increase in our field rent in 2018. It is planned there will be a 1
staged increase over the next two years with differences for differently grouped members (see below). At the AGM of Nov 2018 the fees will be adopted as above, this will generate approx. 147.50 profit based on reasonable spending/running of the club in 2018. In 2019 the fees projected above will bring in approx. 412.50 profit. Changes to club fees do not need membership approval and can be altered by the Committee, members will be reminded in the 2018/19 AGM documentation of the fees to be paid for their coming year s membership. By moving to fees that generate profit we will hopefully be able to put funds back in the bank and pay for more improvements over the coming years. We can also consider if we wish to keep any of the profit aside as a contingency (e.g. to put towards a new lawnmower or if we need to move site in the future). Tam also raised that we should consider a possible joining fee or capping the membership depending on numbers and interest following our new field improvements. It was agreed to monitor the situation over the coming months and revisit if required. Bank Transfer for FMFC Fees : Due to some members not being in the Falkirk area or not managing to attend the AGM, Tam will explore the possibility of members paying Fees by Bank transfer. SAA fees can already be paid direct (see the FMFC website) (Thanks Tam). Derek also said he could help by paying in any cheques he receives direct to the bank if he has the FMFC bank details, Tam is clarifying the account details and will update Derek accordingly. Ring Fencing : Due to our field rent now being 900.00 from the end of 2018 it was agreed we would ring fence 1000.00 from our bank funds to ensure we always have the next again years rent available, thus giving us a safeguard to plan in the event of a time where we have less membership income when fees need paid. Spending Club Funds : Before any projects are taken on board, agreed or otherwise, any funding MUST be agreed with Tam (and made aware to the Committee) prior to spending or agreement to spend. There will be many reasons to spend money this year, the most cost effective way must be considered before club funds are agreed to be spent. If Tam has not agreed your funding prior to any project being undertaken then funds may be refused, all projects should ideally be discussed and funding secured at a quarterly Committee meeting. 2
Name Badges, T-shirts, Hard-core Toilets : Name badge design is being trialled within the committee and may be possible to deliver at a low cost to the club e.g. 10.00. T-shirts are too costly but can be individually ordered through the club secretary (see Derek and the website) if required. The hard-core at the entrance will be considered in line with the implementation of the new fence and gates as Geordie may need some for his animals to get in and out of his field at the end of Aug/Sept 2018. Tam has suggested a toilet we can buy costing approx. 29.00. and a small tent 20.00, which is a fantastic idea for busy periods and events, however at the end of the day the waste from this needs managed. The committee are currently looking at how we would manage the waste at the end of the day e.g. who takes the waste away and how should this be disposed of. Todhill Wind Farm Funding : Due to the club now fencing the field it was discussed whether we should apply from the nearby wind farm, who have a fund of approx. 24,000.00 per year to spend on projects. Before submission of any application the club needs to have their accounts signed by a suitability qualified person and detail our income (part of the conditions for applying). Graham Robertson and Tam are going to look at overcoming this, then the committee will consider applying for some funding. Safety Officer Updates : (Jamie) New members : A number of new members are joining FMFC, therefore the process of paying SAA insurance and club fees is being followed. However can anyone seeing a new member please help or ensure they know the safety code in particular the TOP 9 (see Jan 2017 Newsletter and below) and have seen the Welcome to the Club hand-out, this guidance is also on the website. 1. Do not take off or land if anyone is on or crossing the strip. 2. Ask pilots for permission to take off or land before you fly. 3. Call clearly, Taking off, Landing, Crossing, Dead stick. 4. Do not take off or launch anything behind the Pilots who are flying. 5. Do not fly behind the flight line/pilots Stance e.g. behind yourself as you look at the strip or near buildings e.g. Geordies farm house/buildings (SAA Safety Code - No model should be permitted to fly behind the pilots stance ). 6. Restrain your plane in the pit area at all times if the IC engine is running or you plug in the battery (SAA Safety code - treat an electric model like an IC one if the battery has been connected ). 7. Retreat to the Pilots stance after take-off as soon as possible. 8. Don t tune engines at head height close to other members. It is essential that other people remain behind and are a safe distance from the propeller (at least 5 meters away). 9. For FPV Flying a spotter is required at all times. Drone type aircraft should ideally fly over the main strip and follow the club rules laid down for fixed wing and helicopter models. 3
Field Updates : (Alex) Fencing the strip : Tam and myself met with Garry on 23 rd Dec 2017 to scope out the project with a view to Garry s contractor taking on the fence work. The contractors have visited the field week on 10 th January 2018 with a view to submitting an estimate for the work by the end of the week. Once the fence is erected everyone will need to use the gate to enter the field as you will not be able to use the old styles as the fence may be too high to cross, a style is planned for the far side of the field so you can cross the fence to recover your planes if they come down outside the fenced area. We also are planning to put double gates at the west end to allow access and they can be opened for larger models to fly. The fence at the other end will be in the dip to allow flyers to avoid collision on landing and take-off. We are also planning on fixing the fence in front of Geordie s house using his stabs he already has, thus clearing an area for our second shed. As above hard-core will probably be required in some form possibly for our entrance and where Geordies animals enter his field through his new gate. There was some discussion around animals getting in the field then how do they get out. We will re discuss the finer points of what we do once we get the estimate e.g. add another gate, who can go to the field in an emergency e.g. letting animals out and how this would operate e.g. cut the fence to get the animals out. Once this work is agreed we will notify the members when it will take place as flying may be affected and we would not want to put contractors at risk in the field with flying planes. Also a new pit area could be designed with pilots stances and starting benches etc. so if you have any ideas feed them to the committee for consideration 4
Lawnmower Battery : The lawnmower battery is often dead, due to the summer coming Alex is considering sourcing/charging a new battery if required (e.g. Halfords YUASA U1R 47.00 12V 30Ah 270A). Does anyone have a spare lawnmower battery or know where to get a good cheap one if so contact Alex Munro ASAP. New Shed : We are working with Geordie to get a location for this at the farm. Rushes Spraying : On-going pending the weather conditions being right. Cross Strip : The previously outlined cross strip plan is on hold pending the new fence and field area. Committee Member Updates : (Graham, Allan, Gordon, Graham) The new Committee members were welcomed to the FMFC committee for 2018 and everyone s ideas and time will be well appreciated by the members. Field Helpers : There will be many jobs to do this year, therefore do you wish to help get involved? This will be from strimming, grass cutting, erecting fencing at the fly in, moving/clearing rubbish at Geordie s farm etc. Although the Committee will be involved more helpers the better. If you wish to help please let one of the committee know, you will then be added to a distribution list where we will ask for helpers and you can then let us know if your available to help out. Graham Hathaway has kindly volunteered to co-ordinate the helpers in line with Alex who is the main field maintenance man, so send your details to Graham at grahamhathaway@yahoo.co.uk or to the FMFC Chairman etc. (thanks Graham and Alex). Organisation of 2018 Events : The first event will be the Scale fly in on 6 th May 2018. This year s prizes will be in the form of FMFC vouchers you can redeem against your 2019 membership fees, there will be no fee for entering our events. Allan, Gordon and Gordon have kindly volunteered to assist in planning the 2018 fly in events e.g. fencing, parking, vote counting, prize giving, so any ideas chat to them and give them a hand (thanks guys). 5
Dates for Your Diary : The next committee meeting is on 11 th April 2018 (TBC 11 th July 2017, 10 th October 2018) and the winter meetings, 17 th Jan 2018, 21 st Feb 2018 and 21 st March 2018 (TBC 17 th Oct, 21 st Nov, 12 th Dec 2018, 16 th Jan, 20 th Feb, 20 th Mar 2019) (these can also be found on the FMFC web site). The topics for 2018 are as follows (N.B. Meeting timings are 7pm-9pm), Below are this years confirmed events in black, the red entries are last year s events that have not been yet been confirmed/updated this year. Wednesday 17 th Jan - Simulator Night. Sunday 21 st January 2018 - Kinross Winter Fly In Wednesday 21 st Feb - Video Night. Wednesday 21 st March - Falkirk Model Flying Club Winter Build Competition. Friday 17 th March 2017 - Dumbarton District Model Aircraft Bring and Buy. Sunday 6 th May 2018 - Falkirk Model Flying Club Open Scale Fly in. Saturday 13 th May 2017 - Ayr and District Model Flyers Open fly in. Sunday 21 st May 2017- Montrose Model Aero Club Spring Fly in. 25 th to 28 th May 2018- Longhorsley Fly in - (LMA Members). 3 rd and 4 th June 2017 - Dundee Model Aircraft Club Fly in. 17 th June 2018- Kinross Model Flying Club Summer Fly in. 16 th 17 th and 18 th June 2017 - Balbedie Aeromodelling Club - Mid Summer Fly in (Warbirds and Scale). 17 th and 18 th June 2017 - Cumbernauld 24 Hour Fly in. 20 th June 2018 - Falkirk Model Club Mid Summer Fly In (5 pm - 10 pm) 24 th and 25 th June 2017 Scottish Model Airshow - Strathaven. 7 th - 9 th July 2017 - Pitlochry Models - Flying in the Glen. 15 th and 16 th July 2017 - Angus Model Flying Club Fly in. 15 th and 16 th July 2017 - Cumbernauld Fun Fly Event. 29 th and 30 th July 2017 - Montrose Model Aero Club Summer Fly in. 5 th August 2018 - Falkirk Model Flying Club Summer Fly In. 19 th August 2018 - Kinross Model Flying Club August Fly in. 12 th and 13 th August 2017 - Cumbernauld Warbirds Weekend. 18 th and 19 th August 2018 - Loch Leven Splash in (Balbedie Aeromodelling Club). 19 th and 20 th August 2017 - Training and Testing West Calder Flying Club. 23 rd and 24 th September 2017 - Dundee Model Aircraft Club Scale and Warbirds. Regards, The Committee FMFC. 6