MODEL AERONAUTICAL
ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALIA INC.
Newsletter
NO. 4/2006
President: Mike Close, PO Box 146, West Pennant Hills NSW 2125
Telephone: 02 9872 6469 Fax: 02 9871 0408
Vice President: Theo Merrifield, 25 Jecks St, Rockingham WA 6168
Telephone - 089 528 3124
Secretary: Ivan Chiselett, 1 Watson Ave, Mont Albert Nth. Vic 3129
Telephone (03) 9897 1220 Fax (03) 9897 1445
e-mail; secretary@maaa.asn.au
Treasurer Gary Anderson, PO Box 471 Devonport Tas. 7310
Competition Rules Secretary. Fred Adler 18 Ivory St. Noranda WA. 6062
e-mail; maaatechsec@touch88.com.au
M.A.A.A. Internet: http://www.maaa.asn.au
The Manual of Procedures is a “live” document and is continually being updated. Please check the M.A.A.A. web site from time to time to ensure that you are aware of the latest editions of the documents.
The M.A.A.A. Council has set the M.A.A.A. affiliation fees for 2006/07.
Fortunately the insurance costs reduced for the third year in a row. A major contribution to the reasons is our very good safety record. Let us all strive to keep our excellent record intact. We should all be vigilant at all times to eliminate unsafe practices and improve safety.
The M.A.A.A. Council decided at their Annual Conference that the 2006/07 M.A.A.A. Affiliation fee for Senior & Pensioner be left unchanged at $100. The Council decided to take advantage of the lower insurance cost to assist and encourage juniors by reducing their fee to $50. This is a significant reduction from the $80 fee last year. It is interesting to note that in 2003/04 the junior fee was $97-50. It is hoped that this low fee will continue the growth in our sport by encouraging more juniors to join and assist those members with junior members in their family. Please note that the State Association affiliation fee is to be added to these fees as are your club fees.
Insurance Policies Covering M.A.A.A. Members
Being an Affiliate Member of the M.A.A.A. you are covered by four different insurance policies. These being;
1. Third Party Public and Products Liability
2. Personal Accident
3. Directors and Officers Liability / Corporate Reimbursement Insurance
4. Professional Indemnity
All but about $35 of the current $100-00 M.A.A.A. Senior fee goes towards the costs of insurance. I shall attempt to explain the cover that these policies offer.
This policy provides cover to a limit of $20,000,000. The excess this year has been again set at $5,000 by the insurance company, the same as last year. The member on whom the claim is made is responsible for the first $250 with the M.A.A.A. being responsible for the remaining $4,750 of the excess. The M.A.A.A. has set aside funds to cover this and it is part of the cost of our insurance within the membership fee.
This policy indemnifies you for personal injury or property damage to third parties that you are found to be legally liable for as a result of the pursuit of model aviation. The policy also includes member-to-member cover. This means that if a member causes another member serious injury and/or property damage the policy will be respond. It is impossible to give definite answers as to coverage in specific circumstances. It should be noted that the ultimate arbiter on any claim would be a Court of Law.
It should be noted that as result of a decision taken by the M.A.A.A. Council at their 2004 meeting, damage to model aircraft, irrespective of the cause, will not be covered by the third party public liability policy.
The policy also provides third party legal liability cover for clubs and associations. This includes claims for damage against the club from members of the public visiting the club facilities. It also includes cover for the results of catering, provided all State catering regulations are abided by. Claims resulting from injury caused by playground equipment on the club grounds are also covered. The equipment again should comply to State requirements and be properly maintained.
If a club organises a display the policy covers the third party liability aspects of the function provided that all the necessary regulations are abided by. Any display involving model aircraft requires a display permit. See the M.A.A.A. Manual of Procedures on the web site for information. Please note that this procedure has been significantly altered recently.
It should be noted that it is extremely difficult to obtain this type of insurance and even harder to get member-to-member cover. Again this year we were only able to obtain one quote for this policy. Fortunately our very good safety record has seen a reduction in the cost of the policy.
There is no age limit for the third party policy. There is an age limit if 80 years for the Person Accident policy but NOT the Third Party policy.
Many people have noted that they have an apparently similar cover with their home and contents policy and ask why can’t they use that policy. From feedback I have received, the vast majority of members “demand” that all that fly with them have a policy that can be actioned should they be unfortunate enough to sustain injury or damage as a result of the actions of another member. To have people monitoring other policy coverage, dates of currency and conditions of the many home policies of members would be an impossible task. Not all home policies provide the same level of cover as the M.A.A.A. policy. I am sure that no member of a club would volunteer for the position of “insurance officer”.
Imagine their predicament if there was an accident and they found that the “insurance officer” had let a person through without adequate insurance cover. The M.A.A.A. insurance Broker has also provided the opinion that the majority of Home policies would not respond to claims made involving model aircraft. The M.A.A.A. is able to obtain the cover it does at, relatively speaking, very good rates due to the fact that having all members covered spreads the risks and ensures that even if there is a claim the individual is not singled out for any resulting increase in premiums.
This provides personal accident coverage for affiliate members under the age of 80 years who are;
1. Engaged in general flying activities at the club, competing in competitions and championships, and other activities organised and under the control of the insured;
2. Acting as an official at competitions and championships organised and under the control of the insured;
3. Acting as an elected official of the insured;
4. Engaged in volunteer activities organised and under the control of the insured including direct travel to and from such activities;
5. Travelling directly to or from activities described in 1 to 4 above.
Organised would mean the M.A.A.A. and associated clubs having sanctioned the events or activity. This would include training, testing and activities at the club / fields. It should be noted that the coverage does not include your activities with model aircraft at home.
The policy also provides for salary maintenance for salary earners. It provides 80% of net wages up to a maximum of $500 per week for a maximum of two years. It also pays 80% of the non-Medicare medical expenses to a maximum of $4,000 for each claim. There are also stipulated maximum amounts for loss of sight, hearing, limbs etc.
The policy has an excess of $50 and 7 days in the case of salary maintenance.
It should be noted that the policy does not cover the medical fee “gap”. That is the difference between the Medicare rebate and the fee charged by medical practitioners. It is illegal to have insurance to cover this.
The M.A.A.A. will reimburse members, who are over 80 for a complete membership year, the cost of the Personal Accident premium if the person sends a copy of “proof of date of birth” to the M.A.A.A. Secretary. If you are 80 or older as at July 1st 2006 you are eligible for the refund. The Secretary will arrange for a refund of the policy cost, about $5.60, to be sent.
This policy covers the legal expenses of the Club or Association and its officials in the event of them being subjected to legal action as a result of their position. It should be noted that the club officials should exercise due care and with regard to State and Federal laws in carrying out their duties as directors.
As in all other cases if the Club Executive believes that there is a possibility that they will be involved in legal action they should contact the M.A.A.A. Secretary as soon as possible.
There is no excess on each and every claim for Directors and Officers Liability and $2,000 for Corporate Reimbursement.
This policy covers Inspectors, Club Officials, and Instructors for advice that they may give in regards to model aviation. It is also possible for Professional Instructors, who are members of the M.A.A.A. to be listed on the policy for their activities as a profession instructor of model aviation. For a member to be listed as a Professional/Paid instructor they must hold the M.A.A.A. Instructor Rating, have the recommendation of their State Association and have permission from their club/s to conduct paid instruction at their field/s.
Members holding an M.A.A.A. Instructor rating interested in “registering” as a professional/paid instructor should contact the M.A.A.A. Secretary for more information. There is currently a $50 fee per year to be listed on the policy.
The excess on each and every claim is $2,000 that is the responsibility of the party on who the claim is made.
The M.A.A.A. Manual of Procedures includes a procedure “Accident / Incident Reporting and Actions Procedure” which details the process that should be followed in the event of an injury and/or possible insurance claim. A copy of the procedure is available on the M.A.A.A. web site or from the M.A.A.A. or State Association Secretary.
It is important that all possible claims are reported as soon as possible. Please ensure that witnesses are recorded and statements taken. It is hard to chase up everyone after the event.
Please note that every incident/accident should be thoroughly investigated and “closed out” in accordance to the requirements of the procedure. The importance of reducing accidents is vital to our organization. We do not like to see fellow members injured and it also adds greatly to our costs. Please do your bit and be very vigilant with the aim of no accidents.
As I have noted many times, the meeting of propellers and fingers still seems to be a favourite trick for many of us. Although it sounds a bit of lark the injuries sustained by some of our members are very severe. Some have lost fingers and others the full use of them. Please be careful around props and use effective aircraft restraints when starting. Most important of all, do not reach over a rotating prop, go behind to release the glow plug and make adjustments. Safety is a continuing thought process.