MAAA Newslatter 0107

MODEL AERONAUTICAL

ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALIA INC.

Newsletter

NO. 1/2007

Manual of Procedures

The Manual of Procedures is a “live” document and is continually being updated. Please check the M.A.A.A. web site form time to time to ensure that you are aware of the latest editions of the documents.

All M.A.A.A. Affiliate members are eligible to represent Australia at World, Continental and Trans Tasman Championships. Team trials for places in the teams are conducted by the relevant National Special Interest Groups (NSIG) or M.A.A.A. Technical Subcommittee within the M.A.A.A. If you are interested you should make contact with the relevant NSIG for further information or contact your State Association Secretary for contact details of the SIG. The M.A.A.A. web site has links to NSIG’s and contact details of subcommittee chairmen.

The championships scheduled for 2007 and 2008 are listed below with current information on team trials.

F1 - Free Flight (Ukraine) – Multi team trial system has been approved. For further information please contact your State Association Free Flight Special Interest Group.

F3A – Aerobatics (Argentina)– Team trial to be held at the VRF field Shepparton Friday 6^th April 2007. Contact the APA for further information.

The M.A.A.A. Executive have approved a multi team trial system for team places in the 2008 Free Flight Trans Tasman Competition to be held at Nerandera in NSW during the autumn of 2008.

For further information please contact your State Association Free Flight Special Interest Group.

CASR Part 101 has been operating for some time and there still appears to be a little confusion as to the difference between a UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) and a Model Aircraft. According to the C.A.S.A. regulations. A model aircraft is used for sport and the pleasure of flying it. A miniature aircraft that is used, or intending to be used, commercially or for gain is a UAV. The only exception to this is the use of a model aircraft commercially for pilot training purposes.

If you are using, or intending to use, your model aircraft commercially or for gain, such as aerial photography etc, you are operating a UAV not a model aircraft. Your activities therefore come under the CASA regulations for UAV’s. If you work for a company or organization that is using or working on UAV’s, then when you fly their UAV it is not a model aircraft, even though at the time you may consider that your are flying it for fun.

It should be noted that autonomous flight of model aircraft is not permitted by the M.A.A.A., see MOP044 – Internal Navigation and Stabilisation, and therefore would also not be covered by the M.A.A.A. Insurance policies.

The M.A.A.A. insurance policy is specifically for model aircraft as defined by C.A.S.A. regulations and M.A.A.A. Manual of Procedures. Therefore, any M.A.A.A. Affiliate Member flying or dealing with a UAV or autonomous model aircraft is definitely not covered by the M.A.A.A. Insurance policies. Any activity involving UAV’s or autonomous model aircraft at an M.A.A.A. Affiliate Club is also not covered by the M.A.A.A. Insurance policies. Therefore it is highly recommended that if a club wishes to allow its facilities to be used or hired for the flying of UAV’s or autonomous model aircraft a condition of the hire/use should be that M.A.A.A. Affiliate Members should not be allowed access to the flying site. This is to ensure that any insurance claim that may arise from the activity cannot involve the M.A.A.A. policies.

It is also highly recommend if clubs wish to allow the operation of UAV’s or autonomous model aircraft at the facility the committee should obtain proof of insurance cover and a signed statement that the UAV operators were wholly and totally responsible for any claim arising during their operation at the flying site. Clubs should also be aware that if their lease with their land owner is for the flying of model aircraft, if UAV are allowed to be flown you may be invalidating you field lease.

The selection of teams to represent Australia at international competitions is set out in the Manual of Procedures document MOP024 – International Teams. This documents sets out the requirements for the conduct of team trials.

Special Interest Groups and Chairmen of the relative M.A.A.A. Technical Sub-committees MUST be aware, and follow, of the requirements of this document with respect to the conduct of team trials. Possibly the most important requirement is that the M.A.A.A. Executive receive at least 6 months notice of the trial. The notice of the team trial must include the actual date and location of the trial. The lead time of 6 months is needed to ensure that all members wishing to compete have enough notice to arrange leave from work and where necessary arrange travel plans that give them access to advance purchase airfares etc.

Team trials must be completed at least 6 months prior to championship. Again this is to ensure a good lead time for members to make the necessary arrangements if they are successful at the trials.

The M.A.A.A. prefers a single team trial however permission may be given for the running of a multi event team trial. The request for permission to conduct a multi team trial must be sent to the M.A.A.A. Secretary for consideration by the M.A.A.A. Executive at least 6 months prior to the first leg of the proposed team trials. Permission to run a multi team trial is only applicable to that particular event. It is not an ongoing approval.

The above is purely a brief outline of the requirements. Please read MOP024 to ensure that you are aware of the requirements of conducting a team trial.

All Affiliate members of the M.A.A.A. are eligible to try for team selection. You do not have to be a member of the Special Interest Group although naturally it is to everyone’s benefit if you are a member. If you are interested in trying for a place in an international team find out where and when the trials are to be held now. Do not leave it and find out you are too late.

Details of team trials as I receive them from the organizers are published in the M.A.A.A. Newsletter. However, due to the lead times of this Newsletter, I recommend that you be proactive and get the dates from the Special Interest Groups. A list of contacts for National Special Interest Groups and M.A.A.A. Technical Subcommittees are on the M.A.A.A. web page.

At the 2003 Council meeting it was decided to bring the classification of Junior Member in line with the membership year. A person that turns 18 years of age on or after July 1^st will be considered a Junior Member for that membership year. For example, if a person turns 18 on or after July 1 2007, then they will be a junior member for the 2007/08 membership year.

For the purposes of Competition classifications, a junior for local and international competitions is still from January 1^st. A person is a Junior competitor for the calendar year starting January 1^st if they turn 18 years of age before that January 1^st. A person turning 18 on or before December 31^st 2006 is a senior competitor for 2007. A person turning 18 on or after January 1^st 2007 is a junior competitor for 2007.

This is the time of the year, after January 1, when we get people joining and asking about paying half fees for the period until June 30. A person that has not been an M.A.A.A. the previous year is entitled to half fees if joining after January 1^st. Current M.A.A.A. Rules require that any person who was a member in the previous year shall pay a full years fee when joining after January 1^st of the membership year. Currently this means someone who was a member during 2005/6

Clubs should note that they will be charged a full M.A.A.A. fee for members who were affiliated in the previous year even if they have not collected it from the member.

To obtain a “Permit to Fly” for a heavy or a gas turbine powered model, the pilot must demonstrate a suite of manoeuvres to the satisfaction of the Inspector. The permit identifies the pilot and the manoeuvres that he/she is allowed to perform with that particular aircraft. If at a latter time the pilot wishes to add to the manoeuvres that they and the model are certified to perform, they must have an appropriate Inspector to certify the pilot for the new manoeuvres and note them on the “Permit to Fly”.

If the owner wishes to allow another pilot to fly a heavy or gas turbine powered model then that person, and the manoeuvres he can do, must also be noted on the permit by an appropriate inspector. To assist a person to be added to the pilot list for a particular model, a pilot already certified for the model is able to “instruct” another pilot, of a minimum bronze wings standard, to operate the model. This can be done with a “buddy box” or by the single transmitter instructional technique. Once the person is competent on the particular model they can then ask an appropriate inspector certify them and their suite of manoeuvres on the aircraft permit form.

The 62^nd Nationals will be held in Perth over the period December 29 2007 to January 4^th 2008.