Chairman RNHPC 3/5 Dated
MINUTES OF THE 2003 ROYAL
NAVY HANG GLIDING AND PARAGLIDING CLUB (RNHPC) ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
1.
Introduction. The RNHPC AGM was held on 16
Apr 03 at the Blorenge, during the RNHPC 2003 Easter Training Exped to the
JSHPC, Crickhowell. A total of 9 members
were present, including the Chairman and Secretary.
2.
Previous
minutes. The
Chairman opened the meeting by welcoming all present and presenting the minutes
of the last meeting. No actions were
outstanding and the minutes were agreed.
3.
Election
of the Committee. The bulk of the committee was re-elected
unanimously with all members volunteering to stand for a further term. The one change was that LT CDR NIGEL TAYLOR
was elected as the Competitions Member, with a specific directive from the
Chairman to promote paragliding specific issues as the bulk of the committee
remain Hang Glider pilots. The Chairman
pointed out that CAPTAIN MERVIK had been replaced by CAPTAIN PALMER in post as
D/ACOS(AV) and he would be approached with a view to acting as President for
the Club. It is hoped that one of the
two high ranking officers currently on PG courses may be persuaded to take on
the role in due course.
4.
Chairman’s
points. The
Chairman covered a number of issues, which are described in the following
paragraphs; all points were debated and are now to be considered Club
policy. Where necessary the Club
Constitution has been amended to reflect changes and all members will receive a
copy of the updated Constitution with these minutes and the next Newsletter.
5.
Treasurer's
report. The
Treasurer was absent on duty but had provided the Chairman with a summary of
the Club’s financial situation. The Club balance creditor currently stands at
around £4000 but there has been significant expenditure during the winter on
equipment servicing that has yet to be paid for. The annual audit has been completed and
approved by the Service Fund Accountants at HMS NELSON. The Chairman congratulated the Treasurer on
his diligence in keeping the Club accounts to a high standard as commented on
by the auditors.
6.
Equipment
Use. The
Chairman stated that he had been in discussion with The President and The Fleet
Legal Advisor over the last year concerning liability issues arising from the
use of Club Equipment. There are no real new issues here – members must be
provided with airworthy equipment, use it sensibly and return it in a fit
condition. What has to be in place is
more rigorous documentation to ensure an audit trail is in place if someone had
the misfortune to have a serious accident while using Club equipment. It was agreed that for flight safety critical
equipment ie HG wings, PG wings and harnesses (including reserve parachutes)
that the following documents would be created:
a. An equipment servicing and usage record. This would be kept at the JSHPC, held by the OC JSHPC, and would be updated by the Committee Member responsible for equipment hire.
b. An equipment loan agreement. This would be a proforma that will be signed by all who hire flight safety critical equipment and will define the conditions of use. (A copy of the approved proforma is enclosed with these minutes).
c. Temporary Loan Book. The existing loan book will be modified to contain custom made pages with entries relevant to Club equipment hire. This document will remain at the JSHPC and will be held by OC JSHPC.
7.
Equipment
Purchase/Replacement. A five year plan is being produced to plot
the Club’s proposed equipment purchase /replacement plan. The general policy of focussing support at
the post CP pilot was endorsed although maintenance of a competitive edge at
top level was still felt to be important.
It was agreed that the purchase of an intermediate PG wing had been a
success, with good utilisation and that another PG wing should be purchased if
grant funding could be achieved. The key
point of the plan would be to ensure that aging equipment was replaced before
servicing costs became excessive.
8.
Hire
charges/Subscriptions. Hire charges/Subscriptions
were agreed as unchanged for the year but the Chairman re-iterated the
importance of paying for these items as this is the source of income that
covers servicing charges. All members
are encouraged to pay up promptly.
9.
Insurance. The Chairman emphasised that the
membership must appreciate that there is an element of risk in PG and HG and
that the onus is on members to ensure that, should the worst happen, they leave
their dependants adequately covered financially. Members must realise the following:
a.
There could be circumstances
when the Service may dispute that an accident occurred on duty and thus “in
service” benefits may not be paid.
b.
Members must be aware
that the BHPA insurance scheme is a third party issue – ie it covers damage to other
people or property caused by a Club member while flying. There is no element of
personal accident or accidental death cover included.
c.
For many years the
JSHPA has recommended a minimum of £75,000 personal accident cover and has
insisted on this for the Inter-Services.
Until now this has been voluntary for RNHPC members. Club policy is now that when using Club HGs
or PGs or harnesses and reserve parachutes this cover is now mandatory. Club members will be
required to sign a declaration that they have this cover when hiring HGs, PGs or
harnesses (this will be in the loan agreement form described at paragraph 6
above). This also applies to anyone taking part in an official RNHPC fixture –
this will normally be covered by the existing JSHPC rule and a declaration form
s signed at the start of the event to confirm insurance cover is in place.
d.
Club Equipment is
only insured while in storage at the JSHPC. While hired to Club Members they
must ensure that they have personal possessions cover in case of “fire or
theft”. Crash damage is uninsurable –
members must be able to pay for the cost of damage they cause to Club equipment
while they are flying it!
10.
Expeds. The Club has never achieved an
Exped. The Chairman is trying to
organise a visit to Aerotow.com in
11.
The
Committee. For
those members not present at the AGM the following are your club committee
members:
President Captain Chris Palmer
Chairman Lt Cdr Rob Dowdell
Secretary Lt Mark Scott (Scottie)
Treasurer CCWEA Wayne Holmes
Competitions Lt Cdr Nigel Taylor
Training/Safety Mr Dave Fenwick - OC JSHPC
Post Meeting Note: With the Treasurer back in a sea going job the
Chairman is point of contact for those members wishing to hire club equipment.
Lt Cdr Dowdell
Chairman RNHPC
21 May 03