MISASA - What do you want us to do for you?

[John Boucher]

My apologies Africa....

I liked this : I am a big fan of a Misas comittee, we came up with ideas to attract more members, more schools, more manufacturers and support them. Competitions, seminars, airshows, static displays in malls and expos, have safety discussions on what caused certain accidents and promote safety by suppiorting not policing if you know what i mean.

[alanmack]

Apologies I've not been monitoring the forum as closely as before given that MISASA now has the most capable and much appreciated input of John and Greg. More of you need to come on board. What about the Development portfolio? Any takers out there?

My first point is that you really need to ask this question also - WHAT IS IT THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO GIVE BACK TO OUR SPORT. You see we are not a paid executive management committee managing a contingent of staff. We are a group of volunteers that do what for you?

Here is my view of what MISASA does for you.

Why Join MISASA?

Advocacy:

* We give a collective voice to the interests and rights of pilots and enthusiasts.
* We stand for responsible and accountable airspace governance structures without over regulation.
* Where appropriate, we act to preserve the freedom to fly, stand for legislative freedom and self governance.
* We maintain interfaces with stakeholder structures such as the CAA, RAASA, Weather Services, Dept of Sport & Recreation, FAI via CIMA, Air Traffic Services etc
* Promote the availability of third-party legal liability cover and professional indemnity insurance cover for members. > Do you know that the Aero Club essentially benefits from your third party insurance - Our Chairman and I as well as John have been working on this one. Read the next Chairman's report for more on this.
* Encourage air mindedness, safety and aviation excellence.
* Acknowledge and recognise aviation excellence through the granting of appropriate awards and designations.

Communications: We maintain membership and external communication channels via print and electronic media enablers. This costs nearly your full R250 fee pa

Advice: Experienced pilots pool information on technical & training matters for the good of all...

Projects: Collectively energising the development of recreational aviation, co-ordinationg events and more...

Competitions: Maintaining and acquiring the resources needed to stage competitive flying events and facilitating the award of national and MISASA colours...

Membership Credentials: Aero Club membership cards identify current pilots for a variety of reasons.

Collectice Bargaining: Securing volume related discounts and benefits.
Participation: By invitation members may attend selected committee deliberations.

Pilot Memberships - 2010 R500 (2011 R550): Open to pilots and others that are paid up members of the Aero Club of South africa. Joint membership renewal is available through MISASA. Members receive Aero Club membership credentials and enjoy all benefits that the association has to offer. Membership fees are due for any given calendar year commencing on 1 January and are not prorated.
Co-Pilot Membership - R250: Open to enthusiasts, inactive and or foreign pilots. Members receive the quarterly membership magazine, Microflight Africa, may subscribe to news feeds, join fly-aways and are permitted access to controlled areas during events and competitions. Co-pilots receive membership badges. Membership fees are based on the number of magazines to be suplied during any given year.

[alanmack]

Advocacy?

This is a central matter - when you deal with government and parastatals etc of any sort it really takes a solid collective interest group it get public sector organisations to take note of your opinion and so we need the support of all. Not just some but all. Many join late in the year and some not at all. We really battle to communicate with many as hundreds do not have email addresses and many do not join MISASA. eg Stephan are you a member? Relax we do what we do for all and not just some. It is a serious question that I ask as the lists that we have from the Aero Club get stronger all the time but still need work.

Next I see that the thread projects a dieing sport - you may think so had you attended the Aero Club AGM tonight. This said I am very encouraged by the stats

Study just these two slides and you will have an appreciation for the facts - let me know if you want to know more stats - just look at the percentage of new pilots in training as a percentage growth in our sport - it is huge - who do students pay for the training and should the everyday pilot pay the couple of hundred for the instructors? I voted no - and the committee without a single dissenting vote did too - should MISASA pay R20,000 for this seminar or should each instructor pay R200 to attend an update seminar from which they earn their living. Yes some are battling but look at the stats there are many students out there that are currently paying close to R10 million a year plus for training. As for MISASA paying for instructors seminars in the past this is in fact only partly true. MISASA paid but the funding was received from RAASA and or the CAA before that - so who paid? What's changed - RAASA now say that they will only fund seminars that are for all sections of aviation and > go ask the instructors if they want to sit in a room with all sections. After the last seminar the feedback was - we want our own seminar - run by us - not a seminar where the governance bodies lecture us on what they want us to do - we want to decide on what we need to do - we do not want to be told by people with a variety of experience and or by those that have none - so who should pay the R200 - those that called for it or should we have one less magazine next year?

[alanmack]

So the problem is not the number of pilots or the number of students - the problem is that the recession has many pilots not renewing their ATF's and the current requirements to become an AP mean that soon we will battle to find an AP.

see the stats below

Fly safe and please send stories for the mag - the closing date for the Xmas issue was 1 October

Please look around and see if you can find someone to assist with the Development portfolio or come to a meeting and offer to do something

If 5% of the membership offered to help > can you just imagine what MISASA could do for you!

Re the thread about Bantam flying: It all started from me visiting Andrew - I visited Andrew in Nelspruit a couple of weeks ago and got all the documentation on the Black Max wheels mod issue and took it to see Pfumelani at the CAA who was very helpful and has allocated an engineer to help resolve the matter for nearly 80 Bantam owners - did I mention that I do not fit in a Bantam - so why help? - meet the Bantamites and you will know that they are an absolutely fantastic bunch of people who deserve to get their SA Colours and yes the 3 - Axis class is uncontested - so you only have to beat yourself to get SA Colours! PS It was I that brought this possibility to Andrews attention and I have discussed it with the Competitions portfolio and they are most excited about a group of parrots entering the competitions. SA has never done as well as it may have done because we do not compete in the 3 Axis class so these points go begging when they add up the team scores!

[John Boucher]

Thank you Alan... You just about covered it all!

Now, my Cheetah is on it's way to Rainbow this weekend... and when Vladimir & Walter have got her fit as a fiddle again - I'll be able to ferry her down to FAMO and start practising for the 3-axis class?

[ystervark7]

I would first of all like to thank the members of MISASA for all their work. I think that most members appreciated this.

A lot of discussion is about money. I think that very few members really have any complaints about the cost (there will always be exceptions) as long as they feel that they get value for their money, and I do think that we do get value for our money. I am also sure that most members would be happy to pay R200 or even more if they get some value for it and one of the values that micro-lighters (and other NTCA) regard very highly is reducing official meddling and red tape.

e.g. Currently MISASA and RAASA already do some of the red tape such as insurance for us which most members do not even realize. I think more can be done in this direction such as increasing the validity period of out licences to 10 years similar to PPL, reducing the medical requirements (which currently is higher for an MPL in RSA than for a PPL in Nederlands and in the USA I understand that your medical only expires if your drivers licence is revoked), or even administrating paying our radio licence fees, etc.

[Sam]

A trade show sounds wonderful. I think we should look at this one. It would be wonderful if anybody else has great ideas so that the committee can give to the members what they want and not what they think the members want.

[John Boucher]

Thanks to all that have contributed.... really... everyone!

1. Some positive ideas that we as a committee will definitely look at has come from the thread
2. We have clearly shown that we (as committee) are not there to flaunt and toss around member's financial contributions... on the contrary!
3. Our sport / interest is going to grow - in stature and in numbers!

For the chaps running flight schools that are successful and flourishing - yes I know there are many...
Keep up the good work and that what you are doing to enhance our sport - you are obviously pulling the right strings!

For the chaps running flight schools and are not experiencing the numbers they had hoped for - I say this - Maybe it is time to :
Change your attitude towards your current & prospective client (no place for arrogance and abrasiveness)
Change the methodology of your operation (maybe you should allow your student to fly solo in your trike - insure the bloody thing)
Contribute positively to enhancing the sport (to poison new incoming folk that are not informed only blemishes your own image)
Change how people see you or experience you.... make them want to do business with you!
Run a safe, compliant & legitimate operation (liability is a serious business!)

This is a BY WORD OF MOUTH business - filled with referrals!

[Africa]

good stats Alan, thank you.

[Bundy]

Hi john, Greetings!

Ok Ok OK... you sold me. Will be joining Misasa as soon as I finish my NPL (amper amper)

Hell, I'll join just for the mag. Its great. Keep up the good work.

[John Boucher]

Now that's the spirit! Welcome aboard Alan....