BMFA News Feb 2019

[john stones 1 - Moderator]

Page 51 ..continued competency for examiners.

The initial phase of continued competency for Club Examiners. Phase 1 will involve the issue of attendance certificates for examiners who attend AS events such as roadshows or workshops. O.K..I've attended workshops.

What does this mean to those who don't attend, if anything ? anyone know ?

Can someone tell me if the questionnaire being sent out to club examiners,that was mentioned in a previous issue has been shelved or not ?

[PeterF]

See page 51, column 2, para 3, questionnaire will be sent out to individual examiners once the data is entered into the Go Membership system, but this does not mention a date, merely that it will happen after the data is processed.

Edited By PeterF on 26/01/2019 21:53:43

[john stones 1 - Moderator]

Thanks Peter I missed that.

[Martin Harris - Moderator]

Having attended a couple of these workshops, the benefits are clear to me in that there was a variety of standards being applied by some attendees. I think everyone felt the value of being able to find an acceptable level to judge candidates and I would have no qualms about an occasional mandatory attendance to help maintain standards should such a requirement ever be brought in.

While examiners are tested initially by an ACE and should be able to apply standards of the time, the scheme moves on over the years with the introduction of new technologies and tests and the workshops are an ideal opportunity to check understanding, see different types of tests being performed and resolve any urban myths etc.

Hopefully, examiners do the job for the right reasons and not as some sort of "badge of honour" and that type of individual would be likely to be willing to give up a day's flying (although they would be likely to be welcomed to fly at most host sites at some point in the day) for the benefit of the hobby.

Edited By Martin Harris on 26/01/2019 22:05:57

[PeterF]

I participated in Archery before I became involved in model flying, and even in the late 1980s early 1990s archery maintained a level of continued competency for coaches, there was at the time no equivalent of examiners. Coaching certificates were valid for 3 years and at the end of that period of time you had to be able to demonstrate by means of keeping a log that you had been active in coaching and attended workshops etc. If at the end of the 3 year period you had not demonstrated that you had been a practising coach, then your certificate was not renewed. I gained my basic coaching certificate after a series of around 6 2 hour sessions and then an assessment by a regional / national level coach. When I stopped participating seriously in archery my coaching certificate automatically lapsed and if I wished to regain this then I would have to go back to going through the full cycle of coaching workshop sessions.

[john stones 1 - Moderator]

Already stated I had attended workshops, I have the picture of the apple pie to prove it.

Interesting post Peter, could open ups lots of discussion, but not what I asked.

2 phrases "continued competency" "Initial phase" Then my question, anyone know what happens to those that do not attend ? if anything ?

[Stearman65]

My magazine arrived yesterday but didn't take a close look at it until this morning. Inside the front cover is a full colour add for Model Glasses!!! As a spectacle wear I took a close look & noticed the URL of their site was www.rapideyewear.co.uk. So what you might say, however WEAR has a number of meanings including "damage, erode, or destroy by friction or use"

On the other hand, WARE is defined a "An item that is offered for sale".

I think I'll stick with Spec savers.

Edited By Stearman65 on 27/01/2019 08:46:37

Edited By David Ashby - Moderator on 27/01/2019 08:48:56

[John Lee]

Posted by john stones 1 on 27/01/2019 00:22:11:

Already stated I had attended workshops, I have the picture of the apple pie to prove it.

Interesting post Peter, could open ups lots of discussion, but not what I asked.

2 phrases "continued competency" "Initial phase" Then my question, anyone know what happens to those that do not attend ? if anything ?

See the December edition, page 54 "it was also agreed that in the first instance, any system would be on an entirely voluntary basis i.e. there would be no formal requirement at this stage"

[ken anderson.]

all getting a bit to complicated to my way of looking at it.... for an individual who volunteers his time to admin an achievement scheme...on behalf of his club/BMFA.....

ken anderson...ne...1..complicated dept.

[Former Member]

[This posting has been removed]

[Cuban8]

As a club examiner, I attended one of the first AS roadshows held at the Harlow Club a few years ago. A pleasant and informative day in which we all learned something (organisers included). I have no objection to, and welcome the opportunity to attend a road show or workshop now and again, but the 'voluntary star rating' of examiners is, perhaps one to watch and might have counter-productive consequences, depending on what the 'star ratings' represent. Not clear on this at the moment.

[Peter Jenkins]

Just to clarify, the AS Roadshows to which Duncan refers are the ones run by the ASRC and not the ones run by Areas in this first iteration. He says that he will consider extending this to Area run events next year. I think this will significantly reduce the number of Examiners reached as they will need to make one of the 2 Roadshows in 2019. Fingers crossed that Phase 2 comes along in 2020.

[Cuban8]

I'd have thought that including the area events to be vital - Buckminster isn't on everyone's doorstep.

Edited By Cuban8 on 27/01/2019 11:14:14

[john stones 1 - Moderator]

Posted by Steve J on 27/01/2019 09:49:39:

Posted by john stones 1 on 26/01/2019 21:38:00:

The initial phase of continued competency for Club Examiners. Phase 1 will involve the issue of attendance certificates for examiners who attend AS events such as roadshows or workshops.

What does this mean to those who don't attend, if anything ? anyone know ?

Phase 1 is voluntary attendance of workshops by examiners.

The BMFA want to get involved with the DfT/CAA registration and competency system (a mistake IMHO).

The BMFA need to increase their membership (or have a long hard look at their outgoings).

I think that it is pretty obvious what phase 2 is going to be.

Steve

Yep I spotted that Steve, phase 1 implies more phases, which was my point.

Phase 2 is obvious is it ? spit it out then, I'm all ears.

Edited By john stones 1 on 27/01/2019 15:45:09

[john stones 1 - Moderator]

Posted by Peter Jenkins on 27/01/2019 10:25:01:

Just to clarify, the AS Roadshows to which Duncan refers are the ones run by the ASRC and not the ones run by Areas in this first iteration. He says that he will consider extending this to Area run events next year. I think this will significantly reduce the number of Examiners reached as they will need to make one of the 2 Roadshows in 2019. Fingers crossed that Phase 2 comes along in 2020.

Fingers crossed we someday find out what phase 2 is, or indeed the direction and purpose of them, lets hope those working on these 2 roadshow dates, don't get the hump over their lack of competency cert.

Star system ? Words almost fail me, are we grown ups or, trophy collectors.

[john stones 1 - Moderator]

Posted by ken anderson. on 27/01/2019 09:49:18:

all getting a bit to complicated to my way of looking at it.... for an individual who volunteers his time to admin an achievement scheme...on behalf of his club/BMFA.....

ken anderson...ne...1..complicated dept.

I may not have an objection if we're on a journey Ken, be nice to know where we're headed though, questions meet a brick wall though.

[Former Member]

[This posting has been removed]

[john stones 1 - Moderator]

Posted by Steve J on 27/01/2019 15:46:21:

The latest EU draft regulation says that certificates of remote pilot competency shall be valid for five years.

The BMFA are saying that examiners Certificates of Attendance of workshops shall be valid for five years.

I am going to hazard a guess that attendance of workshops by examiners will become mandatory if the BMFA get involved with competency testing for the DfT/CAA.

Time will tell.

Steve

If changing times, dictate change is needed, I tend to agree more often than not.

[kc]

It seems to me that examiners are going to be very busy this year because so many regular fliers don't have an A certificate - if that suddenly becomes a legal requirement there will be queues for examiners. Examiners won't be getting much time for their own flying later in the summer......

[Former Member]

[This posting has been removed]

[Martin McIntosh]

I attended one workshop to hopefully gain some insight to the actual rules for quads, having been asked by a couple of club members to test them in the discipline. Unfortunately the quad demo flight went pear shaped because of a faulty battery but I asked the guy if he used stabilisation since this was/is a grey area. His reply was `Christ yes, because it cannot fly without it`. I left being none the wiser about anything.

Due to some criticism from within my club regarding someone else`s view about who should have passed an `A` or not I shall now only stand in as a second examiner for a `B`. It is voluntary after all and takes up quite a bit of time.

[Martin Harris - Moderator]

Simple test for permitted stabilisation - let go of the sticks and if it stays in position it's stabilised and can't be used (in that mode) for the Multi Rotor A and B...

[Martin McIntosh]

Thanks, I know that now but nobody seemed to at the workshop.

[Handyman]

What happened to this wonderful stress-busting hobby of ours. I can remember a time when we could get our favourite model, out of the shed and trundle off to our chosen flying area and have a couple of hours flying,then return home feeling refreshed with the pleasure of flying an aircraft that we had built ourselves and hopefully brought back in one piece. Then suddenly, out of the depths emerged the unelected spectre of Bureaucracy. "We cannot allow these Sunday model fliers to go on piloting their potentially dangerous remote control aircraft,without some form of legislation". And to my mind, as a 78 year old boy,this is where it all went wrong. This came about in 1975 when the Health and Safety in the working environment reared its head.

I will agree that the working environment needed regulation of this kind, but not our hobby,surely? I had a few cut fingers during my flying life-time, but that was down to my carelessness, and did not need the heavy hand of enforced regulation by an entity that was put together,ostensibly to safeguard ourselves and other people from injury or harm.

I can remember a time when it was a requirement to have a radio transmitting licence for your model aircraft equipment, and along with that licence, I also purchased model flying insurance. I was quite aware back then,just how dangerous an out of control model aircraft could be. I am not knocking the BMFA in any way, but it always seems that once you give someone or some institution a little bit of muscle, they soon begin to start to push the boundaries and insist on adding just a little bit more legislation, to what is already a well policed hobby.

If instructors and examiners are not happy about these extra burdens on their time, (and bearing in mind that these posts are being filled by people who are voluntarily giving of their time), then they should canvass the BMFA en-mass and stop this extra burden before it becomes enshrined in BMFA rules.

[Martin Harris - Moderator]

It might be argued that what the BMFA is doing is potentially making life easier for its members by making the scheme more credible in the face of impending legislation. Evidence of the value of a well administered organisation has been graphically demonstrated by the recent exemption from the 400' rule for BMFA (and 3 other organisation's) members.