Safety is and always has been something responsible modellers have
taken on board whether they are members of clubs or fly as individuals.
Nevertheless, no matter how safety conscious a modeller is, there is
always the possibility that they could be involved in an accident; the
cause can often be outside their control.
It is for this reason that the club rigorously checks that modellers have
current insurance before accepting their annual subscription. ~
Over the years we have assured all our site owners that the club’s policy
is ‘No insurance ~ No flying’
All our moorland sites (Mermaid/Roaches) are owned/controlled by Peak
Parks, Natural England or the MoD. In the past, there have been times
when relationships between these landowners and modellers have been
tenuous to say the least. With all our moorland sites now being open
access and some close to a public highway; it would only take one
accident between a modeller and a member of general public for these
landowners to cause us real problems.
If for any reason that modeller had no insurance we could well end up
losing these moorland sites.
Unfortunately, Peak Park/MoD automatically assumes that anyone flying
a model plane on this land is a member of the L&MMGA. This means
that we have not only got to be vigilant regarding our own flying but that
of others too, particularly regarding insurance.
Ensuring a safe standard of flying and checking that all fliers who use
our slopes have current insurance is too important for it to be left to a
few club officials; we must all be vigilant
Our frequency board system was designed (Tag On ~ with clear Name
and Date) so that valid membership can easily be checked. Anything
other than a valid LMMGA tag put on the frequency board should
suggest that it belongs to someone who might not be a member and is
possibly flying without insurance ~ it should be checked out by asking
for proof of insurance or having a known member vouch for the flier.
Guests are and always have been welcome on any of our sites but only
if they have current insurance. We are unfortunately living in a ‘Blame
and Claim Culture’ ~ we can’t be too careful.
The L&MMGA committee is especially concerned by members who are
late renewing their subs. We are only concerned for one reason and one
reason only ~ the delay in renewing their L&MMGA membership is
usually because they’re late renewing their BMFA insurance.
Unfortunate Guys! An accident is just as likely to happen in January as it
is in December and Insurance Firms are not the least bit interested in
statements like :> “Sorry! It was an oversight; I’d every intention of
renewing my insurance”
The club’s record on safety is exemplary. I can only recall one accident
in the 50 odd years I’ve been flying on the moorlands ~ a slight dent to a
modellers car ~ lets maintain this record!
Note::: It is well to remember that model aircraft come under the same
umbrella as any other aircraft when it comes to safety. Both the BMFA
and CAA make it absolutely clear that the pilot of an aircraft is solely
answerable for sound maintenance and responsible flying. Failing to do
this could result in a criminal prosecution
Be Safe not Sorry
