RULES & CONSTITUTION
HUDDERSFIELD AND DISTRICT MODEL AIRCRAFT CLUB CONSTITUTION
RATIFIED BY EGM - 15TH FEBRUARY 2012 - Updated January 2013
C 1.0 The name of the Club shall be "Huddersfield and District Model Aircraft Club" later referred to as HDMAC or the Club.
C 2.0 The objectives of the Club are to promote the sport of building and flying Model Aircraft.
C 3.0 For the furtherance of the above objectives, the Club shall levy an annual subscription from the members and shall hire or purchase flying fields and premises, and provide such equipment as is deemed to be necessary.
C 4.0 MEMBERSHIPS
Membership shall be open to all persons sympathetic towards the objectives of the Club, with the proviso that they are responsible persons acceptable to the Committee. There shall be five classes of Membership:-
C 4.1 Junior Member for persons below the age of 18 years or persons below the age of 21 years if in Full Time Education.
C 4.2 Senior Member for persons 18 years to 64 years of age.
C 4.3 Senior Citizen Member for persons 65 years of age or above
C 4.4 Honorary Member for persons who the Committee or Members may
consider to be worthy by service to the Club or Hobby.
C 4.5 The HDMAC welcomes prospective Members and Visiting Flyers subject to the special conditions defined in Rules 13.1 to 13.4.
C 4.6 New members shall be subject to a 12 month probationary period in line with the BMFA recommendation. The Committee can extend this period or terminate club membership of probationary members without the right of appeal
C 5.0 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
An AGM will be held during the first two weeks in December each year at which the Members shall receive from the Committee the Annual Reports of various sections and the Audited Accounts for the preceding year. The Club’s affairs are run on democratic principles.
C 6.0 BANKING
The Committee shall hold Accounts in such Banks or Financial Institutions as they see fit, in the name of the Club, for the investment of the Financial Assets of the Club.
Cheques and Bank Withdrawals shall require the signatures of two persons from four or more appointed signatories.
C 7.0 OFFICERS OF THE CLUB
C 7.1 COMMITTEE
The Committee is a body of Members elected by the Membership to conduct all the financial and administrative affairs of the Club.
Members of the Committee are subject to election each year, as below.
C 7.3 A Voting Quorum shall consist of Six ( 6 ) members of the Committee
C 7.4 The Committee shall consist of :-
1.Chairman
2.Secretary
3.Treasurer
4.Membership Secretary
5. Whams Representative
6. Slope Representative
7. Flight Training Co-ordinator
8. BMFA Representative
9. Groundsman
C 7.5 The Committee may co-opt any ex-officio Voting or Non-Voting Members as they see fit.
C 8.0 COMMITTEE RESPONSIBILITIES
C 8.1 The Committee shall be responsible for all the affairs concerning the financial and general running of the Club and will authorise expenditure necessary for this purpose.
C 8.2 Planned expenditure in excess of a sum equal to or greater than 10 x the Senior Member subscription or £600 whichever is the greater per item on capital goods or equipment for stock will be subject to prior approval of Members at a General Meeting.
C 8.3 The Disposal of any HDMAC Club Assets, either Material or Financial, to a Member or otherwise must be approved by the HDMAC Committee and recorded in the Minutes and Accounts of the Club.
C 8.4 Changes in the Club Rules / Constitution will be subject to prior approval of Members at a General Meeting.
C 8.5 The AGM minutes will be circulated to members in writing within 31 days of their approval by the first Committee meeting in January of the following year.
C 8.6 Communications to Members or external bodies purporting to represent the views of the Club shall only be issued by the Secretary with prior approval of the Committee.
C 8.7 The Whams Land cannot be sold or otherwise disposed of without a vote of 75% or higher of all the current membership at a General Meeting and a legal majority (currently 2/3) of the Trustees and any decisions as to the sale of the Whams Land is to be subject to the approval of 75% of the members of HDMAC and the agreement of the Trustees and that this clause is not to be subject to any further amendments without the agreement of the legal majority (currently 2/3) of the Trustees.
C 8.8 A suitable policy of trustee insurance indemnifying the Trustees in respect of all HDMAC activities on the Whams Land and any liability arising from the trustees legal ownership of the site, be maintained at all times and at no cost to the trustees and that this clause is not to be subject to any further amendments without the agreement of the trustees of HDMAC.”
C 8.9 The Club has the authority to direct the body of trustees concerning the appointment and removal of individual Trustees
C 9.0 SPECIAL MEETINGS
C 9.1 The Committee may call an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) at any time by notifying the membership two weeks in advance.
C 9.2 10% of the Previous Year-End Total Membership may request the Secretary to convene an EGM. This request must be in writing, stating the proposed Agenda for the EGM, and must be signed by all those concerned.
C 10.0 QUORUM - An EGM shall be valid only if attended by a minimum of 25% of the Members eligible to attend.
C 11 VOTING RIGHTS
Every member attending the meeting shall have ONE VOTE.
C 11.1 Members not able to be present at the Meeting shall have ONE WRITTEN VOTE on any resolution circulated prior to the meeting, but not to any amendments raised at the meeting.
C 11.2 Voting at an AGM or EGM shall be carried by a simple majority of those attending the meeting plus valid postal votes submitted.
C 12.0 GENERAL PROCEDURES FOR AN AGM OR EGM
C 12.1 Proposals or Amendments for the Agenda must be signed by the Proposer and Seconder and be submitted to the Secretary in writing in time for issue with the Agenda
C 12.2 Proposals for the Agenda must be circulated by the Secretary to all the Members at least four (4) weeks prior to the meeting. (two weeks for an EGM).
C 12.3 Only such Proposals, which have been circulated to the Members, as above, may be voted on at the General Meeting.
C 12.4 Amendments to existing Proposals on the Agenda can be received and considered during the course of the Meeting, preferably in writing, subject to the special provisions of Section 13 relating to Subscriptions.
C 12.5 Any items raised at the General Meeting under ‘Any Other Business’ cannot receive a binding vote, but will be considered for action by the Committee at their subsequent meetings.
C 13.0 PROCEDURE FOR SETTING MEMBERSHIP SUBSCRIPTIONS
C 13.1 The AGM shall set the new Membership Subscription for the following year. The current Committee will be required to advise the membership of the proposed level of subscription by inclusion in the Agenda for the AGM to be circulated to members at least four (4) weeks prior to the meeting.
C 13.2 The BMFA subscriptions will be as decided by the BMFA Annual General Meeting which is normally held at the end of November.
C 13.3 Members may propose amendments to the subscriptions.
Such amendments must be in the hands of the Secretary, in writing, by the 20th November for consideration at the Committee Meeting prior to the AGM. Only the original Committee proposal and Members’ amendments received at this Committee Meeting can be discussed at the AGM.
C 13.4 In the event of the Committee proposal failing to receive a majority at the AGM then the subscriptions will remain at the previously agreed level, or until a further Extraordinary General Meeting can be convened.
C 13.5 Notice of this EGM and the details of the original Proposal and any Proposed Amendments must be circulated to all members in writing at least two weeks prior to this meeting.
C 13.6 No change in the Membership Subscriptions may be agreed upon, either as a proposal or amendment, unless the details have been circulated to all members in writing at least two weeks prior to the meeting.
C 14.0 AUDIT OF ACCOUNTS
The Committee shall arrange for the Accounts to be examined and approved as correct by a suitable independent person or persons, prior to the AGM.
C 15.0 DISCIPLINARY PROCEDURE
C 15.1 In the event of any complaint against a Member, the Committee either individually or collectively shall have the authority to immediately caution or censure the Member, either verbally or in writing as appropriate and convenient.
C 15.2 In the event of repeated or serious complaints or infringement of the Rules, the Committee shall request the Member in writing to attend the next Committee Meeting to discuss the complaint in person.
C 15.3 In a case of severe misconduct the Committee may impose immediate Suspension until a hearing at the next Committee Meeting.
C 15.4 Failure to attend this Committee Meeting without just cause or notice will be taken to be an admission of guilt of the offence.
C 15.5 At this Meeting if the Committee find the complaint proved they shall have the power to Temporarily Suspend the Member for a period to be specified or to Permanently Expel the Member from the facilities of the Club.
This decision shall be notified to the Member in writing by the Secretary.
C 15.6 A Member so Suspended or Expelled shall not be entitled to the return of any Subscriptions or parts there-of.
C 15.7 A Member who wishes to dispute the above procedure may appeal against the decision at the next General Meeting of the Club. (EGM or AGM).
A simple majority of the Members present at the General Meeting shall decide whether to uphold or reject the appeal
HDMAC CLUB RULES - January 2022 - Ratified at December 2021 AGM
GENERAL RULES
Membership Subscriptions and Insurance
R 1 Only Club Members and properly authorised guests (see Rule 18) with BMFA insurance may fly on Club sites.
R 2 Club Members renewing their membership and new Members joining the Club must sign a form agreeing to abide by the Constitution and Rules of the Club as provided on the HDMAC website and any relevant legal requirements.
R 3 Grades of Club Membership shall be as detailed in Section 4 of the Club Constitution.
R 4 Club Annual Subscriptions etc. shall be set at the Annual General Meeting. The BMFA subscription will be as set at the AGM of the BMFA.
R 5 All new Members shall pay a Joining Fee.
R 6 All new Members will receive a Membership Card, a new member’s handbook in PDF format and an induction talk from a member of the committee. A BMFA Insurance Certificate will be issued later when available. New members should provide their own Transmitter clip or peg with their name and frequency on it if they wish to fly using 35MHz at the Whams. A printed copy of the Club Handbook will also be available inside the Whams Cabin.
R 7 Club Subscriptions become due on the 1st January. Membership and BMFA Insurance is valid immediately the Club Membership Secretary is in receipt of a person’s subscription.
R 8 Any member not having renewed subscriptions by 15th January shall pay the Late Renewal Fee of 2 x Joining Fee.
R 9 New applicants or existing members must pay any monies owed to the club, as determined solely by the Club Treasurer, prior to membership being granted or renewed.
R 10 The cost of BMFA Membership is additional to the Club membership fee. BMFA Membership and Insurance Cover are on an Annual basis commencing on the 1st January each year.Members are not insured until subscriptions have been renewed
R 11 Members holding BMFA Insurance individually or through another Club must provide proof of Insurance before any flight can be undertaken
R 12 Paid up members will be issued with a valid Club Membership Card for the year and their BMFA Insurance Certificate will be available for download from the BMFA portal.
HDMAC General Flying Rules
Safety – The Law – BMFA Achievement Scheme
R 13 HDMAC members using Club flying sites do so under the rules of CAA Article 16. Members must read and understand Article 16, keep up to date and comply with all the current legislation, applicable to the flying of unmanned aircraft.
R 14 Members must be able to produce proof of competency under Article 16 and proof of a current CAA Operator Number if required.
R 15 It is your responsibility to maintain your aircraft and equipment prior to flying, to ensure they are safe and capable of being operated lawfully. Transmitters fitted with a failsafe function must be activated, ensuring a minimum of operating the throttle to idle or to stop it. It is advisable to check the operation of the failsafe before flight.
R 16 To be able to fly solo at the Whams club site, members must hold a minimum of a BMFA (FW) "A" certificate or equivalent.Members who do not hold a BMFA (FW) "A" certificate or equivalent can only fly when under the direct supervision of a club member, who is competent and recognised by the club’s committee and who also holds a minimum BMFA (FW) ‘A’ certificate.
Members, who hold any BMFA "A" certificate, will be allowed to fly helicopters and multi-rotor aircraft, solo, without taking the separate multi-rotor test, subject to conditions.
Members who want to fly without supervision on the slopes must hold a BMFA (FW) "A" or RC glider equivalent.
R 17 Gas turbine aircraft or any aircraft with a Take-off Mass’ of over 7.5kg must be fitted with an operating failsafe, which brings the throttle to idle or stop. Additionally the pilot must hold a BMFA ‘B’ Certificate or Large Model Association (LMA) ‘Full Proficiency Certificate’ and fly with a competent observer on the flight line. Although the use of a competent observer on the flight line is to be encouraged for all model types.
R 18 Any incident, accident, or occurrence involving or potentially involving, injury to the public, damage to property & aircraft landing out of sight must be reported to the relevant authority within the required timeframe and also committee within 24 hours.
Information on how to report an Accident can be found HERE
R 19 All new club members and lapsed members re-joining the club must have a site briefing by a committee member, outlining the current CAA model aircraft flying legislation/guidelines, safety requirements, field boundaries, field rules and protocols, before they can fly. Any new or lapsed member, already holding a BMFA achievement qualification, will be asked to undertake a short demonstration flight with a club instructor or examiner.
R 20 HDMAC committee, in the interests of safety and compliance with any statutory changes, can at any time change or amend any club flying site rules as necessary. These temporary rule changes will only remain in force, as long as required, to address the safety issue. If the rule change is required to become permanent, it must be discussed and ratified at the next available club AGM or EGM.
Guests
R 21 Any members wishing to bring along visitors to fly at the clubs site may do so provided that prior permission is received from a club committee member and that the visitor, should they wish to fly, can demonstrate compliance with legal requirements (Article16) and hold a valid BMFA ‘A’ Certificate for the discipline they wish to fly.
R 22 Guests must comply with the current club rules.
R 23 Potential members requesting a trial flight may only do so under the supervision of a designated /recognised club instructor using the clubs equipment and buddy box system.
R 24 Visitors may fly as guests on three separate occasions within a 12 month period. If they wish to fly on a fourth occasion they must apply for membership to the club and be accepted as a full club member.
Club Flying Site Rules can be found in the Flying Site Rules sub menu
They can also be found on the Whams and Slope Soaring pages.