Northern Helicopter Modellers Club N.Z

 

 

New Zealand's only Model Aero Club dedicated solely to Radio Controlled Model Helicopters.

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Please select the following links to download the documents

 

·         NHMC safety Induction Form

 

·         Northern Helicopter Modellers Club rules 

 

Peter’s Covering Letter

 

To whom it may concern.

 

My name is Peter Buckland and I am a member of the “Northern Helicopter Modellers Club”

Based on my vast experience administering “Clubs” the NHMC Committee invited me to produce a draft set of rules for the NHMC.

 

From my point of view I felt that I needed to write a set of rules that was as fair as possible to all members enabling them to pursue their chosen discipline without detriment to other members what ever their chosen discipline or level of competence.

The rules also had to stand the test of time that is the need for a new set of rules should not occur for hopefully at least another ten years. The rules should also be able to be amended by Committee. The amendment may come about because of an overall “club” need or at the input from the membership.

It may seem at this time that there is no need for a such comprehensive set of rules but in my experience it is most advisable. It will prevent the need for another set of rules having to be written to cover any situation that may arise in the future. (Much easier to write an amendment that a whole new set of rules).

It will also prevent knee jerk reactions to any given situation due to a base set of rules of reference governing the Club.

 

As a starting reference I took into consideration the rules of two local Aero Modeling Clubs then modified those rules to suit Helicopter Flying.

I also took into account the rules governing “Alpine Sports Club and the Marque Sports Car Club of Australia. I served as President and Chairman of both of these Clubs, ASC at that time grew to Eight Hundred members and MSCA had well in excess of two thousand members made up of all the individual Marque Sport car Clubs in Australia. The interesting thing to me is that even although the rules were written towards the end of the 70’s and seemed over the top on the day, they are still in force to this very day albeit with many amendments which suit the modern day requirements of its members.

It is my opinion that these rules are now badly needed as the club membership has risen from 8 when the last set of rules were written, today requiring an increased stewardship by Committee in order to meet its goals in providing members with their specific needs where possible.

 

First of all I considered what was required.

Any Club or groups of like minded people need to have a purpose for their association. In this case I felt that the aim of NHMC was to promote the sport of Radio controlled model Helicopters.

How was this to be achieved?

First of all there needed to be a Committee elected by the members to manage the activities of the NHMC, very generally by providing its members with the facilities to pursue their choice of discipline pertaining to the “Sport of radio controlled model Helicopters.

Of course, in order to provide these services to its members there has to be a set of rules and just as in the society in which we live in, the higher the number of members in any group of people the more specific the rules have to be in order to provide for all members.

It seemed to me that the main consideration here was “Safety” and I have hopefully covered all aspects so as to protect all members in any given situation.

Because we use radio sets on varying frequencies there needed to be a section covering this, there also needed to be section covering all aspects of flying including the lay out of the flying field and specific areas for use by members practicing their particular discipline.

Provided in the rules are a section for “General Rules” and an “Enforcement section which covers the consequences to any member who willfully disregards the Club Rules.

I would also like to point out that it is very difficult to retain a flying site these days and all but impossible to find a new site should we lose our current site.

I have provided Committee with what I see in my experience a “middle of the road” set of rules in draft form for their consideration.

After due consideration they have asked me to amend or clarify some of the rules, this I have done and believe that they are neither too harsh nor too lenient and should satisfy the majority of members.

I welcome any comment from members.

 

Yours Faithfully,

 

 

Peter Buckland.