In response to several requests we are now producing it in a clearer font

Advance notice for you. All memberships and insurances are due for renewal on 1^st June 2005.We have had notification from the insurance Company that for this year at least there will be no increase in premiums. This may be subject to change dependant on the outcome of two ongoing claims against the Association. A renewal form will be attached to the back of the next newsletter.

The membership subscription will however be increased from the renewal date as passed at the Annual General Meeting. Membership with insurance will be £23.00 with all other categories pro rata.

This was held on Sunday 12^th September 2004 at 8.30pm in the Three Rocks Pub, Ladram Bay during the Devon holiday.

The committee being willing to serve for a further period (mad fools!) was elected en masse. There were no proposals notified to the meeting but the Treasurer in presenting the financial report recommended an increase in the first such increase in 5 years.

There were no objections to this proposal.

Following the formal business of the meeting an informal discussion was held among the members present.

A few changes have been made in respect of next year’s event. It will run for one week only from 22^nd April to 29^th April which is Friday to Friday to comply with the required booking pattern with Haven. We have no flexibility on this other than if Modellers extend their booking at normal Haven Rates.

It will also incorporate all the activities undertaken in the traditional Modellers Week that normally follows it. We hope to include a Tarmac course as well as the usual "Off Road" track for car racing.

The power site will also be at a different location, and will have more facilities (toilets, café, and bar). The location of Bridlington Aerodrome is ideal, not only because of the facilities above, but because with the layout we will be able to operate Fixed and Rotary wing on one site, making better use of Instructors and resources.

Devonshire fruit farmers had a bumper harvest in 2004 and I think that the weather conditions also contributed to the growth of the gorse surrounding the power site at Woodbury Common. Certainly East Devon looked remarkably green for September when the MAA paid their annual visit to the beautiful area, but those modellers unfortunate enough to have to recover their models from the gorse bushes will attest to the growth rate and the bloodthirstiness of this innocent (?) looking vegetation. But let’s start at the beginning.

This was our first stay at Ladram Bay and although some of us had visited the site the previous year it was still an unknown quantity in many respects. Fortunately the vibes were good from the very beginning. The vans were all very clean and well appointed and all the MAA members were in close proximity to one another. It didn’t take long to renew friendships and acquaintances. Promising, too, was the number of new faces. For the Association to be healthy we need new blood all the time to reinforce the old guard and to give it the challenge of one of its most important tasks, that of instructing beginners.

The only downside of the excellent Ladram Bay site was the lack of a dedicated meeting area for members, although we hope that this will be rectified for 2005(we did a pretty good job of taking over the bar though!-Ed)

We were greeted on the Sunday morning by the stalwarts of the East Devon club, most noticeably Jeff and Roy, the keepers of the common flying site, and as usual the grass had been nicely cut. It would be marvellous if I could report that we enjoyed a week of gorgeous weather but the truth is that although the rain generally kept away, the wind never dropped and made conditions difficult for the beginners. The stiff to moderate winds (Met men language-I am not sure which is the worst) did not unduly restrict experienced pilots but it did call upon high standards of airmanship. Somehow, and I am not quite sure how, the fixed wing and heli pilots managed to co-exist without getting in each other’s way. No mean feat on the restricted site.

Generally speaking the flying was to a good standard, but on Black Wednesday-Battle of Britain Day-everything seemed to happen. In addition to 2 mid airs and I cannot even remember the last one on a modelling holiday we had 2 occasions were models ended up in the non-flying public areas. In the first the model hit the chair that Betty was sitting in and also struck her thigh. A precautionary visit to the hospital showed nothing worse than abrasions and bruising but it was a near thing. The second incident involved the model being inadvertently switched doff during launch and arcing round to the left before striking the ground, or to be more accurate, the tail plane of the brand new MAA trainer which had just seen its maiden flight. Another worrying accident that could have been more serious.

Thursday brought more windy weather. I managed to get 4 flights in with my Sneaky Pete low winger with no aileron control but landing was a bit of a lottery. Friday was a total write off with drizzling rain and wind and the majority members decided to head for home a day early. It must have been a disappointment to would be power flyers for they could not expert. We hope that they will not be too discouraged and remember that the weather conditions experienced this time are not typical. I must be getting soft because I actually advised a couple of potential power enthusiasts that they might be better served going to the gliding site. They did and got in a lot more stick time!

Perhaps the week in Devon for power flyers didn’t live up to our expectations, on the other hand the glider boys had a whale of a time, and Derek had his hands full with the helicopters.

On the plus side too was the excellent camaraderie among the members and the welcome given to the newcomers.

As always our sincere thanks to the East Devon club for acting as our hosts. See you in Primrose Valley on 22^nd April 2005 and again at Ladram on 10^th September 2005.

What a shock! It was windy and in the right direction for once. For more years than I care to remember the wind in Devon has never been to kind to the glider lads but this year –what a change. Sorry power lads- it must have been our turn this year! There is a lovely hill just a couple of mile from Ladram Bay that we were able to use frequently during the week and on the days that it did swing in the opposite direction we were able to have a full day out at Chagford, a 30 minute drive away on the outskirts of Dartmoor with a fantastic view. Yes the shorts were on but only briefly.

All the usual suspects were in attendance and it was nice to see some new faces too. Dorothy kept us well supplied with afternoon tea and cakes. We have a right little social occasion the slopes, very civilised. The training gliders saw some action and as usual there was a glut of EPP on the slopes. We were able to fly every day except for the Friday when common sense prevailed and we joined the power lads in an early departure. The wind was that good on the starting Saturday lunchtime that myself and Chairman Max tested out the slope near the camp-well it’s a bum job but someone had to do it this is only a short report as Michael has put an excellent piece together on the website which deserves reading. See you in Filey and again in Devon.

The attendance of the pilots’ morning briefing was good.

In the absence of a clubroom it was held outside the organiser’s caravan.

Following an unfortunate incident which befell one of our numbers on the Thursday morning resulting in the Air Ambulance being called, a collection for the Devon Air Ambulance resulted in £ 75.00 being donated to them and we have received a very nice certificate and letter of thanks.

From the point of view of running the event it is the first time that the MAA has taken over total control of the administration and personally we can only say what a huge difference it has made. Hassle factor is virtually nil and the staff at Ladram has been superb. The whole event ran so smoothly both before and during. Such a pleasant change. We are looking forward to 2005.

It must be remembered that the holidays are not to be used as a vehicle for obtaining A and B certificates. Our instructors, some of which are BMFA examiners, value their qualifications and abuse of the conditions relating to the issue of A and B awards could cause the BMFA to withdraw the qualification from the examiner. Please do not therefore put either the MAA or the individual examiner in an embarrassing position. There are very strict rules imposed by the BMFA in relation to taking the tests outside of your own club which have recently be reiterated to all Chief Examiners. If you are not sure what these rules are please speak to Dave Scoles, our gliding CFI who is a BMFA Chief Examiner. His decision on whether there is an eligibility to take the test will be final. In any case you will need to bring a letter signed by your club secretary with you confirming that the club has no objection to us carrying out the test.

Newsletter Costs Printing donated by Grimsby Model Centre

Postage Caroline Scoles