MODEL AERONAUTICAL

MODEL AERONAUTICAL

ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALIA INC.

Newsletter

NO. 3/2006

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.

With re-affiliation time approaching it is a good time to clarify the definition of an M.A.A.A. Junior Member. 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 will be considered a Junior Member for that membership year. For example, if a person turns 18 on or after July 1 2006, then they will be a junior member for the 2006/07membership year. The junior classification for local and international competitions is still from January 1^st.

The M.A.A.A.’s preferred method of frequency control at flying fields is the “Silvertone” © system. The original Silvertone system used 2” of the keyboard to represent 20kHz of frequency bandwidth. These boards were commonly called the “imperial” board. For example, a radio certified for 20kHz bandwidth used a 2” (50.8mm) wide key. This was fine for the 29MHz band but when the 36MHz band became available the total width of the keyboard expanded considerably. The original Silvertone board for the 36MHz band was made in two rows. This required the use of “guard” keys for the frequency in the middle of the band where a 2 wide key would have covered another slot but it was on the other half of the board. Some clubs joined the two half rows to make one long board, but most operated with two separate rows for the 36MHz band.

To overcome the problems associated with the 36MHz keyboard being in two halves and the need for “guard” keys Silvertone released a “metric” version of the 36MHz board approximately half the total length of the “imperial” board. With the “metric” board, 25mm represented a bandwidth of 20kHz. Therefore, a frequency key for 20kHz for the “metric” keyboard was about half the width of a 20kHz key for the “imperial” keyboard.

As part of the requirements for 10kHz operation, the M.A.A.A. required that if a Club decided to allow 10kHz bandwidth radios to be used at their field they MUST adopt and use a “metric” keyboard. This requirement was designed to reduce the possibility of keys being used wrongly between imperial and metric keyboards with the safety implications that would result.

Silvertone also improved the design to remove the possibility of “metric” keys being used with “imperial” key boards by increasing the width of the tang on the back of the new “metric” keys and to widen the tang slot on all new “metric” boards manufactured. This has the affect that the new “metric” (wide tang) keys will not fit into the “imperial” keyboards. This removes the possibility of their use with the “imperial” keyboards, as they would not fit into it.

It is known that there are several early “metric” keyboards with the narrow tang slots in use at clubs and their members still using the old “metric” narrow tang frequency keys. Both the M.A.A.A. and Silvertone recommend, in the interest of safety and to bring each club to a uniform standard, that the older narrow tang “metric” boards be modified to use the new wide tang “metric” key and all members discard the narrow tang frequency keys and use the new wide tang “metric” keys. To change the frequency board requires a fairly simple task of milling the keyboard slots wider to take the new keys. The new wide tang keys are available from Silvertone. For additional visual recognition the metric keys are manufactured from yellow plastic.

To summarise, the M.A.A.A. requires that the imperial keyboard can only be used for 40kHz and 20kHz frequency spacing with keys of 4” and 2” widths respectively. The metric keyboard can be used at 40kHz, 20kHz, and if the club agrees and in line with the M.A.A.A. requirements, 10kHz frequency spacings with yellow keys of 12.7, 25.4, or 50.8 mm respectively.

At the 2004 M.A.A.A. Council Conference the M.A.A.A. Council directed that “the M.A.A.A. insurance policies including the member to member insurance cover excludes damage to model aircraft irrespective of the cause”. The broker has been advised and has confirmed this exclusion.

M.A.A.A. Ratings and Appointments

As part of the M.A.A.A. Flight Proficiency scheme ratings such as Bronze Wings, Gold Wings and M.A.A.A. Instructor are awarded. The M.A.A.A. also appoints Heavy Model Inspectors, Gas Turbine Inspectors and FAI Observers. The Inspector appointments currently have a maximum term of 3 years. The FAI Observer appointment is until they are no longer members of the M.A.A.A.

As the name implies these ratings and appointments are M.A.A.A. ones and are carried by the individual irrespective of the club or state that they are members of. If you are awarded any of the ratings or appointments and change clubs or states you still hold that appointment or rating. For example, a person who was appointed a Heavy Model Inspector in WA and then moves to Queensland is still an M.A.A.A. Heavy Model Inspector and is authorised to inspect and issue permits to M.A.A.A. Affiliate Members in Queensland or any other state. Provided of course that he is still an Affiliate Member of the M.A.A.A. It should be noted that at the end of his/her three year appointment it is the State Association that he is currently affiliated with that are responsible for renewing his appointment, not the state association that appointed him.

With respect to ratings awarded under the M.A.A.A. Flight Proficiency, if a person was appointed an M.A.A.A. Instructor they retain that rating no matter which State Association they affiliate to. The same applies to bronze and gold wings rating. It is your responsibility to retain the documentary evidence of these rating so that you can prove them if you change clubs. It is up to a Club though if they recognise someone as being capable of instructing on their behalf. Instructing at a Club field is not an automatic right of any M.A.A.A. Instructor.

The M.A.A.A. membership database has provision to record the Flight Proficiency ratings but unfortunately some State Associations do not pass them onto me. If you card is not correct contact your State Association in the first instance

I have had a report of a small R/C model aircraft being flown very close to a large metropolitan airport. From the description of the model it was quite possibly a “Park Flyer”. The relevant State Association was asked to investigate but could not identify the persons involved. There was certainly no club in the area and the model was being flown form a public park.

As you are aware model aircraft should not be flown anywhere near an airport. If you should happen to see anyone with a model aircraft in the vicinity of an airport it would be beneficial to all that they be approached and the suggestion made that they go to a model club where they could get assistance and meet with people of like interests. Please do not get belligerent as diplomacy is generally the better method. People that fly Park Flyers are potential members and where possible we should be directing them towards our clubs. People who fly legally can also suffer if model aviation gets the reputation of being irresponsible

When you renew your membership for 2006/07 please include your full name including “middle” name as well as your date of birth. This information is vital to ensure the identity of a member with respect to their AUS number especially when rejoining after a break in membership.

Clubs are requested to ensure that any gates or chains, wire etc that is used to restrict access to their facilities are clearly visible to ensure that people can easily see them. I aware of some fatalities that occurred in the US where members of the public on motor bikes impacting on low visibility chains etc across access points to flying fields.

Please take the necessary action at your fields to ensure that all gates etc are very visible to ensure we do not have the same accidents in Australia.

Due to the potential of short circuits, batteries for/in models and field boxes should be rendered safe before shipping them.

· they be unplugged to avoid the possibility of the equipment turning on during transportation because of vibration etc.

· the ends/plugs are taped with a suitable insulating tape to prevent the possibility of short circuits.

· The batteries are held securely in place to prevent them moving or rubbing against a hard surface during transport.

Currently there are several airlines that will not transport models due to the perceived risks. The FAI is currently negotiating with the International Air Transport Association tin order to make it easier to ship models by air. We do not need an incident with a battery onboard an aircraft.

The 60^th Nationals will be hosted by the V.M.A.A. in the Albury/Wodonga over December 2006 / January 2007 period. The V.M.A.A. web site at, www.vmaa.com.au, will shortly have the latest information about the 60^th (2007) Nationals. Registration day will Thursday December 28^th 2006 but the registration office will be open each day so that those that pre-enter will be able to register the day prior to their event.

The Albury/Wodonga area has been used for previous Nationals and has proved to be been very successful location. Why not start to get organised and enter some events. You will have a great time.