RNHPC CHMN 4/4
Dated 6 Apr 04
MINUTES OF THE ROYAL NAVY HANG GLIDING AND PARAGLIDING CLUB (RNHPC) ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING (AGM) 4 APR 04
INTRODUCTORY FORMALITIES
1. Introduction. The RNHPC AGM was held at the JSHPC during the RN Easter Training Week on 4 Apr 04. A total of 8 members were present including the Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer and Competitions member.
2. Opening remarks. The Chairman opened the meeting by making a brief statement about the changes that have occurred at the JSHPC Crickhowell. With a temporary OC in place for the foreseeable future there are likely to be many differences in the way courses, competitions and free flying will be managed – there will be a clear distinction between AT and Sport in particular. The Chairman stated that he would keep the membership informed as best as possible as changes occurred but all should be flexible and prepared to adapt to the new regime. However the Club aim should be to preserve the facilities that have been set up through many years of hard work.
3. Election of Committee. The existing Club Committee were re-elected unanimously with all members prepared to continue in post at least in the short term. Lt Scott will stand down as Secretary in Sep 04 prior to his departure on foreign exchange and Lt Cdr Taylor was elected to take over in post until the next AGM with a view to being Secretary until end 06 when he is also due a foreign exchange appointment. Lt Cdr Taylor will be “dual hatted” as Secretary and Competitions Member from Sep 04 until the AGM in Easter 05.
4. Previous Minutes. The 03 AGM minutes were agreed. A number of matters had arisen for action during the last AGM and the Chairman covered these points in turn below and those that constitute new business follow after.
MATTERS ARISING
5. President. Captain Palmer D/ACOS(AV) was confirmed as the new Club President having taken over from Captain Mervick. There was some discussion as to the possibility of one of the two v.senior officers currently undergoing PG training taking over the post but the Chairman emphasised the importance of having a “senior aviator” as President for aviation top-cover. The possibility of approaching a v.senior officer to act as a “non-Executive Patron” was thought to be a good thing and the Secretary agreed to take this for action. The idea being that the Patron would be used if political leverage at high-ranking level were required to advance the Club’s interests in any way in the future.
6. Equipment Controls/Standards and Practices. At the last meeting a number of improvements to the way use of equipment and “duty of care” towards members using Club equipment was enforced were proposed by the Chairman. The Chairman confirmed that these measures were now all in place and were working satisfactorily. As a reminder these were:
· Creation of Equipment Servicing and Usage Log. In place with records of who had flown what for how long, where, and what if any damage had occurred. Records of annual and on-condition servicing were also held so anyone hiring equipment could see an audit trail before committing to using a particular item. The need to report any incident was reinforced so that repair work could be carried out promptly and documented.
· Equipment Loan Agreement. This form is now in use and has been recently updated to reflect changes to insurance policy. All members are required to complete one when using “flight safety critical equipment” namely hang glider, paraglider or paragliding harness and reserve.
· Temporary Loan Book. In use – all to contact Chairman when wishing to use equipment and he will arrange paperwork to be completed.
7. Equipment Purchase. Shortfalls in the holdings of competition hang gliders and intermediate paraglider highlighted at the last AGM have been addressed. The Chairman reported that 3 Moyes Lightspeed-S, 2 Epsilon 4 Paragliders and 3 Advance Progress PG harnesses and reserves had been purchased with a range of grants from Sports Lottery, Nuffield Trust and Sports Control Board. The Club’s Airwave Pulse hang gliders had been exchanged for low airtime/new Moyes Sonic Intermediates purchased from the Army with no net cost to the Club (Pulses sold to JSHPC). Some grant monies were now not going to be used and would be returned to the relevant authority unless DNPTS approved re-allocation. If this were approved it was decided that the priority should be to purchase a small wing area Intermediate Paraglider and a high performance Intermediate Hang Glider. The Chairman re-iterated the policy that hang gliders would be preferably Moyes manufactured due to the high quality spares support system offered by Firebird UK Ltd. The Treasurer commented that it should be the aim to use the older Intermediate Hang Gliders for those first post-CP flights where the risk of damage was highest to minimise repair costs. The Chairman rounded up this subject by pointing out that in the long term the older HGs would be disposed of to minimise servicing costs and achieve a more balanced ratio of HGs to PGs.
NEW BUISNESS
8. Insurance. The Chairman
revised the policy and advice given at the last AGM. As per last year’s minutes:
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 (level of cover changed this year see
below) 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 a the loan agreement form). 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!
Members were additionally advised to check that any life cover on other insurance policies was not “exempt HG/PG”. The Chairman pointed out that the last JSHPA Executive Council Meeting had raised the minimum acceptable level of personal accident and life cover to £100,000 and the Chairman reported that the Club Constitution and Equipment Loan Proforma had been updated to reflect this change. These changes were endorsed by the membership. The Treasurer agreed to check with the acting OC JSHPC to confirm the Club’s position regarding accidental damage cover for Club equipment in storage at Crickhowell.
9.
Treasurer’s report. The Treasurer reported that the Service Fund
Accountant,
10. Club Logo/Emblem Embossed Clothing /Sponsorship. There was a general discussion on obtaining new badges/logo/clothing prompted by Lt Blackler’s offer to investigate a new club emblem design. The Treasurer was voted authority to pay minor charges (in the region of £50) incurred in achieving this. CPO Bown advised caution to ensure “Intellectual Property Rights” were dealt with accordingly to ensure future use of the emblem would not incur further costs payable to the designer. Lt Scott agreed to pursue sponsorship from an aviation company that he is familiar with from his work with the 702 Sqn Lynx Pairs display team to see if financial assistance on this and other matters can be achieved (with due reference to DNPTS/higher authority).
11. 5-year plan. The Club 5-year plan submitted to DNPTS was discussed and endorsed.
12. RNGSA. The Chairman now raised the subject of becoming a stand-alone Sports Association rather than a member Club within the RNGSA. He explained the historical background (see Chairman’s discussion paper to RNGSA AGM 2 Apr 04 attached). After some discussions of the implications of this option the membership voted to agree with the proposal to set up a RN Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association (RNHPA). The Chairman agreed to take the matter up for discussion with DNPTS and the RNGSA with a view to achieve Association status (subject to financial guarantees) from 1 Apr 05.
13. Build a Shed Project. The Committee raised the suggestion that in order the separate Club equipment from Centre and other Service’s holdings, that an application should be made to OC JSHPC for permission to construct an RN Storage Shed at Crickhowell. A wooden structure, with free ventilation to ensure mould free conditions, was to be the aim. A secure cupboard to store instruments would be included with some facility to store PG equipment an option. The latter would probably be limited to harnesses only as wings needed special treatment. The Chairman will pursue this proposal and try to achieve funding to assist. Lt Cdr Taylor will oversee PG storage priorities in the meantime.
14. Expeds The Jan 05 Exped to
15. Website. Lt Blackler and Lt Cdr Schwab were congratulated on their efforts and the site was agreed to be a great success with much potential. CPO Bown advised caution with regard to data protection should personal details be included.
CONCLUSION
16. The being no other business the Chairman closed the AGM having thanked all present for attending. The Treasurer and Secretary proposed and seconded a hearty vote of thanks to the Chairman for all the work he has achieved over the last year but he had already left for a coffee so it is documented here! The next AGM is scheduled to take place Easter 05.
R E J DOWDELL
Lt Cdr
Chairman RNHPC