From The SAMAA Chairman.

The SAMAA General Manager, Bob Skinner, was elected as the new President of the CIAM March 29, 2008 . The outgoing President, Mr Sandy Pimenoff, from Finland, held this position since 1967. The FAI (Fédération Aéronautique Internationale) with headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland, is the body that controls all air sport activity, world wide. The FAI has several air sport commissions (ASCs), of which the CIAM is one. Others ASCs exist for full scale aerobatics, ballooning, microlights, parachuting, gliding, rotorcraft, astronautics, etc. The FAI currently has 93 affiliated member countries, referred to as NACs (National Airsport Controls). The Aero Club of South Africa is the NAC for our country.

The CIAM ( Commission for International Aeromodelling) has the responsibility to manage the international coordination of competitive aeromodelling. The CIAM management consists of a group of elected and appointed officers.

The Bureau core (effectively, the executive committee. Elected annually by the members present at the Plenary meeting) are:

• President - Bob Skinner (South Africa)
• Three vice presidents

1. Dave Brown (USA)
2. Gerhard Woebbeking (Germany)
3. Andras Ree (Hungary)

• Secretary - Massimo Semoli (Italy)
• Technical Secretary - (Mrs) Jo Halman (United Kingdom)
• Assistant Secretary - currently vacant
• Treasurer - Andras Ree (Hungary)

Complemented by the sub-committee chairmen (elected every two years by members present at the Plenary meeting):

• F1 Free Flight - Ian Kaynes (United Kingdom)
• F2 Control Line - Bengt Olof Samuelson (Sweden)
• F3A/M/P - Radio Control Aerobatics - Bob Skinner (a portfolio which he has managed since 2000, and will carry only for one more year, until a replacement is elected by the Plenary next March)
• F3B/J/K - Radio Control Soaring - Tomas Bartovsky (Czech Republic)
• F3C/N - Radio Control Helicopters - Horace Hagen (USA)
• F3D - Radio Control Pylon Racing - Bob Brown (USA)
• F4 - Scale - Narve Jensen (Norway)
• F5 - Electric - Emil Giezendanner (Switzerland)
• F6 - Airsports Promotion - Guy Revel (France)
• F7 - Lighter-than-Air - Marcel Prevotat (France)
• Education - Gerd Woebbeking (Germany)

With the support of a few appointed officers:

• Honorary President - Sandy Pimenoff (Finland)
• Media Liaison Officer - Guy Revel (France)
• CIAM Historian - Peter Keim (The Netherlands)
• Webmaster - Hartmut Siegman (Germany)

A more complete write up on the workings of CIAM will appear in the next SAMAA News. Meanwhile, for more information about the activities of the FAI and the CIAM, visit http://www.fai.org and http://www.fai.org/aeromodelling

How does the election of Bob as CIAM President benefit the SAMAA and South Africa?

It demonstrates to the world that there are other continents that have significant aeromodelling activity, and that South Africa (and Africa) is a force to be reckoned with, not only in the competitive arena.

How does this affect the management of the SAMAA?

The General Manager has to date been the appointed delegate for South Africa, representing South African views and wishes at the negotiation table. In due course, a new delegate will be appointed to represent South Africa.

How does this affect the position of the general manager?

The CIAM President is a volunteer, and there is no conflict of interest with the General Manager of The SAMAA in this position. In his previous position as one of the Vice Presidents he attended two meetings per year which took him from the SAMAA office for five days during the year. As President he will attend four meetings per year. Since the two additional meetings are scheduled partly over weekends, he will only be out of the office for an additional three days per year.

Will this increase the workload of the general manager?

Since the position of CIAM President is a voluntary one, any CIAM work is done after normal working hours and weekends. This should not adversely affect the duties of the SAMAA General Manager. The President's responsibilities are primarily to manage the Bureau, delegation of duties, international relations, and communication.

How does this affect the SAMAA financially?

To date, the SAMAA funded the attendance of a South African delegate to the annual Plenary meeting. The CIAM president's travel and accommodation is funded by the CIAM. Once a new delegate for South Africa is appointed, the SAMAA will continue to fund this delegate's attendance to the annual Plenary meeting.

Congratulations to Bob on this achievement

Percy Attfield