Tuesday, January 02, 2007

Budget Blues -- Piet Le Roux

Like most modelers I try to avoid budget issues because at the end of the day it's your budget that will decide the when and what of your next plane. After reading the letter of Vic de Vries in the November issue of SAMAA News, while on holiday, I dug out my September issue and had a look at it again...

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For info, here's the BMFA cost break-down for 2005 / 2006. Of course, the BMFA has ten times the number of members as the SAMAA. So there are differences in scale.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Nice write up. A big second for your comments re: Lack of IT spending.

Re: Transformation & development, it is good, but one has to always ask what the ultimate target & outcome is? Let's be frank, to stay active in this hobby requires money. Giving someone a kitted out plane and teaching them to fly it is great, but what is the future of this endeavor? Can the candidates afford to continue in the hobby? If not, is it SAMAA's aim to continue supporting them? And to what end? What else are they doing that is beneficial to the candidate? What I'm trying to get at is that it is FAR FAR greater to develop a disadvantaged individual to the point of him having the tools and opportunity to self elevate his standard of living and that of his future offspring than it is to simply hand him a toy that only goes so far as giving him enjoyment for a short period. One is only empowered when he himself has the ability to self sustain AND GROW. If this empowerment is what is being achieved with SAMAA's efforts then I commend them and encourage them to keep up the good work! BTW I thought the AAD development program was good!

Anonymous said...

Enhancing use of the internet is not something one can simply throw money at (well, maybe if you have plenty of it). It requires a shift in attitude and thinking too. SAMAA already advertise this blog on their page as being "The SAMAA Blog", yet in my short time here I don't recall seeing a single member of the commitee actively participating in even one of article discussions. Why is that?

Anonymous said...

Hear Hear. i Agree entirely with the sentiments above. how can Samaa spend ludicrous amounts of money on previously disadvantaged/currently disadvantaged people when it can be assumed that once they have learnt to fly they will in most likelyhood not be able to continue in the sport due to its relatively high cost. Does this not create s sense of disillusionment? Personally i think more money should be allocated to our international teams competing in Scale, Pattern, Gliding, Heli events.

Anonymous said...

Hi Guys Funny how we get all worked up about silly issues on the net. Forgetting the park flyer/SAMAA battle for the moment. lets remember why the majority of people actually join clubs. Its not for the facilities(unless your Flying some sort of TOC model or Jet) its mostly for the comradery and the friendship of like minded people around you. I have been flying for many years and sometimes i wont even bother taking my Heli/Plane out the car, becuase im enjoying myself helping other people and chatting. So for the argument that Park flyers dont need clubs. this may well be true. but it sure does get lonely and boring flying on your own all the time...just a thought.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for your comments Stuart. I don’t think there is a “park flyer/ SAMAA “battle but some SAMAA members is trying to start one and I am not sure why. It’s the principle of the matter. Is been said that a letter have been received from the CAA that gives SAMAA official recognition this “letter” is available on the net but it only states that the CAA is satisfied with SAMAA’s presentation. SAMAA’s request clearly states that SAMAA’s control function will be linked to regulation 94.06.11b of the CAA regulations. Flying a “park flyer” in a park does not necessary contravene this regulation. Yet these people have been called all kinds of names by SAMAA, this lets us look like a bunch of over zealous clowns and it’s embarrassing to say the least.

Anonymous said...

I must differ from the statement which contains parkflyer looking to start a battle.

It is simple: Saama's chairman publicly stated that the "parkflyers" are "freeloaders" which will be "dealt with by the SAP"

He has no authority to make such a statement.

By making that statement, he clearly "declares war" on "freeloaders"

As for "freeloaders" I have paid a lot of money for my equipment.

Just writing this makes my blood boil.

If he can, on behalf of Saama, dish out threats left right and centre, I can retaliate and defend myself against a "greedyloader" like himself.

He must go if samaa ever hopes to get my money.

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