MMAFA Statute
as amended and approved: EGM 5th June 2022
MALTA MODEL AIRCRAFT FLYING ASSOCIATION
PARK NAZZJONALI TA' QALI,
TA' QALI, H' ATTARD. ATD 4000
(Sports Malta C167 & VO/0793)
PARK NAZZJONALI TA' QALI,
TA' QALI, H' ATTARD. ATD 4000
(Sports Malta C167 & VO/0793)
1. Name
1.1 The name of the Association shall be the Malta Model Aircraft Flying Association herein after called the MMAFA or the Association.
2. Definition
2.1 The Malta Model Aircraft Flying Association is a non-profitable Association of people who as a hobby enjoy building and/or flying model aircraft for pleasure and for participation in competitive events.
3. Aims
3.1 The aims of the Association are to foster friendship and understanding between model aircraft enthusiasts, young and old alike and also to promote a general interest in aviation especially the acquisition of a more intimate knowledge of the physics of flight, model aircraft engines, electronics and the operation of radio control equipment.
4. Legal Representation
4.1 The legal representation for the Association shall be vested upon the incumbent President.
4.2 Ta Qali Model Aircraft Flying Site - Any significant issue and/or development which may affect the Malta Model Aircraft Flying site at Ta Qali must be subject to AGM or EGM approval
5. Membership
5.1 Persons over 18 years of age may join the Association as Full members.
5.1.1 Persons over 65 years of age shall be considered as members who shall pay a reduced rate.
5.2 Persons under 18 years may join as Junior members.
5.3 New applicants shall be seconded by two Committee members.
5.4 The committee shall have the right to refuse a membership application, upon giving a valid reason for such refusal. Such refusal and reason for refusal shall be sent to the applicant in writing, thereby specifying the timeframes and procedure to file an appeal. Such appeal shall be heard by an independent board approved by the AGM on a yearly basis. Furthermore, the appeal shall be heard within reasonable time and in no case later than three (3) weeks from the date of refusal of application. Provided that no application shall be left pending for a period exceeding fifteen (15) days without a decision of acceptance or refusal being sent to the applicant.
5.4.1 A new member shall be subject to a probationary period of 12 months, during which time said member shall not be entitled to a key to the flying site and may not be present alone at the flying site at any time.
5.4.2 A new member may attend but shall not vote at an AGM / EGM held during the probationary period.
5.4.3 At the end of the 12 month probationary period, the member shall be confirmed by the committee with full site access and voting rights provided that the member had conducted himself /herself in accordance with the Statute and Standing regulations.
5.4.4 Membership may be revoked by the committee at any time during the probationary period if said member does not conduct himself/herself in accordance with the Statute and/or Standing regulations and after having ignored verbal and /or written warnings and/or instructions by the Committee to comply.
5.5 The Committee or members may from time to time propose that Full Members be given Honorary Membership.
5.6 The categories of membership are as follows:
5.7 All members and new member applicants are to declare any interest in any commercial activity involving the use of remote control aircraft or aerial vehicles of any type as this may constitute a conflict of interest with the Association’s definition and activity (Art.2 )
6. Administration
6.1 The Association shall be governed by a Committee elected by its members every year as set out in article 9.0
6.2 The Committee shall consist of the following:
7. Sub-Committees
7.1 The Committee may delegate work to sub-committees consisting of two or more full members, not necessarily Committee members.
8. Independent Competitions Commission
8.1 The Committee is to nominate an independent Commission for each competition and the members of the Commission cannot take part in that competition.
9. Elections
9.1 Unless there is a vote of no confidence in the Committee, there shall be one election every year during a General Meeting.
9.2 If during an election a tie between nominated members exists, another vote shall be taken to establish who of the tied nominees is to serve on the Committee.
9.3 The President shall be elected by the greatest number of preference votes (P) during elections
9.4 Elections shall be coordinated by two election tellers who shall be voluntarily chosen from the members present at the meeting.
9.5 Only paid up members and honorary members, excluding any members on probation, are allowed to vote in any election.
10. Nominations
10.1 No member can be nominated for election to the Committee if the said member forms part of the committee of any other radio control model club. Likewise, no Committee member can seek election on the committee of any other radio control model club.
10.1.1 Members who have declared any commercial interest in accordance with art. 5.7 are not eligible to serve on the committee.
10.2 A member can only be nominated to sit on the Committee if he has been a Full Member for at least two consecutive years.
10.3 Those members of the committee whose term of office has expired may be nominated again to serve a further term.
11. Complaints
11.1 A member who has any complaint shall inform the Committee in writing, and the matter will be brought up during the following Committee meeting.
11.2 When a member makes a protest to the Committee, the member has the right to be present when the protest is discussed at the Committee meeting.
11.3 For disputes arising during or after competitive events, an independent Commission of three members acceptable to both or all parties is to be nominated by the Committee to seek a just solution. The Commission's decision shall be final and binding.
12. Absenteeism
12.1 Every Committee member shall do his utmost to attend all meetings.
12.2 A Committee member who for valid reasons cannot attend a Committee meeting must inform the Secretary in advance. His apologies for absence will be recorded in the minutes book.
12.3 A Committee member who for invalid reasons is absent from three consecutive Committee meetings may be replaced by a newly elected member.
13. Resignations
13.1 If any Committee member or Appeals Independent Board member wishes to resign, then he must submit his resignation in writing to the President or the Secretary.
13.1.1 In the event of the resignation of the President, an EGM shall be called within 30 working days and fresh elections shall be held to elect a new President and Committee. In the meantime, the remaining committee members shall continue to administer the Association with the sole task of calling an EGM and holding another election. Existing committee members may be nominated again for re-election together with new nominees who may wish to contest.
13.2 In the event of a resignation of a committee member other than the President, a new committee member shall be appointed from those members who contested the last election in the order of the number of votes cast. Should no such members be available, the committee shall exercise the right to co-opt one member of the association who is fully paid up and has been a member for at least two consecutive years or is an honorary member.
13. 3 If however further members of the committee resign during the term of office, and no nominees from the previous election are still available to serve, an extraordinary general meeting shall be called to seek nominations to fill the vacant positions.
13.4 In the event of resignation of any Appeals Independent Board Chairperson or member, the Committee has the power to appoint another person to fill the vacant post.
14. Committee meetings
14.1 These shall be held as and when required but not less than four times annually.
14.2 The Secretary shall keep a record of the minutes of every meeting and this record shall be read by the Secretary for approval by the Committee at the next meeting. If the secretary is absent, another Committee member nominated by the members present may take his place.
14.3 When during a Committee Meeting, the Committee has given equal number of votes for and against the proposal the President shall give the casting vote. The President’s vote decides whether the proposal is passed.or not. This shall be recorded by the Secretary in the Minutes of the meeting.
15. Other meetings
15.1 An Annual General Meeting must be held every year either in January or February. At this meeting the Treasurer shall present his report audited by two members appointed during the previous AGM. An up-to-date inventory of the Association's material assets shall also be presented.
15.2 An Extraordinary General meeting may be held at any time following a call by any member having the backing of at least one third of the members.
15.3 An Extraordinary General Meeting may be called at any time by the Committee provided that the Secretary or his substitute mails the notice to all members at least seven days before the meeting.
15.4 Only paid-up members are allowed to participate in all the Association’s meetings.
16. Quorum
16.1 A quorum for Committee meetings shall consist of at least four members. The President or Vice-President must be present.
16.2 A quorum for General Meetings shall consist of 30 members including the members of the Committee.
17. Membership Fees
17.1
17.4 Fees include insurance cover for third party risks at Ta' Qali. Members not paying their fee by the end of February will have their membership terminated.
17.5 The Committee reserves the right to alter these fees if the need arises after approval by General Meeting.
17.6 Only new members may be enrolled on a quarterly pro-rata basis during a current calendar year.
17.7 A copy of the Association’s third-party insurance cover is to be provided to all members.
17.8 Tertiary, University and Specialist Course Students attending education courses of one year duration or more, shall be entitled to a yearly rate of €55 (same as junior members) during their Academic course. Such students must provide Official documentation confirming their status.
18. Finance
18.1 The Treasurer shall keep an up-to-date record of all income and expenditure incurred by the Association.
18.2 All the expenses incurred by the Association must have the approval of the Committee.
19. Rules
19.1 The Committee has the power to issue rules from time to time and every member must abide by these rules. Any rules so made must be communicated by circular to all members and every new member shall be given a copy by the secretary.
19.2 Every Committee member shall have the power to stop any member from flying at Ta' Qali if the latter's actions or equipment create a hazard to other members and the public.
19.3 The Committee is also empowered to suspend the membership of any member if said member does not conduct himself / herself in accordance with the Statute and Standing regulations and ignores verbal and/or written warnings and/or instructions by the Committee to comply. However, the committee will, beforehand, have appointed an independent commission made up of three MMAFA members acceptable to both parties as arbiters with the objective of seeking a just solution. The member facing suspension has the right to plead his/her case before this commission.
19.3.1 The commission’s recommendations shall be taken into account in the final decision by the Committee. The final decision and the commission’s recommendations shall be made known to all members.
19.4 Unless so suspended, a member is entitled to insurance coverage in the event of a claim and the Committee shall afford all assistance to support the claim.
20. Operation of R/C Equipment
20.1 Members may only operate R/C equipment on the radio frequencies specified by the Chief Inspector of Wireless Telegraphy from time to time.
21. Limitation of use of site
21.1 The association has the lease from the Government of Malta of the flying site at Ta' Qali. The association binds itself not to make use of the site for any activity other than aero modelling. Third parties will not be permitted to make use of the site for any activity whatsoever. The Association, however, may grant permission to the Aviation Museum Foundation to utilize the site for the occasional (maximum of 14 days annually) positioning flights of its restored aircraft.
22. Dissolution
22.1 In the event of dissolution of the Association, all the property of the Association without any exception shall be liquidated and the proceeds shall be applied in favour of another nonprofit organisation with similar purposes as the Association and selected by the administration in charge of the liquidation.
23. Statute
23.1 A copy of the statute shall be available for downloading on the association’s website, www.mmafataqali.com
23.2 For further details regarding procedures, the book "ABC of Chairmanship" by Lord Citrine shall apply.
24. Statute Amendments
24.1 The Statute may be amended only at Annual or Extraordinary General Meetings provided that two-thirds majority of the members present is obtained. 24.2 Proposed amendments are to be submitted in writing to the Secretary at least 14 days before the AGM.
24.3 In the event that an Extraordinary Meeting is called in order to change the Statute the proposed change is to be submitted along with the signed request by the proposer/s and one third of the paid up members.
25. Pecuniary gains
25.1 The Association may obtain a pecuniary gain from its activities when such gain is not received or credited to any private interest but is exclusively utilised for the purposes of the Association.
25.2 The Association may buy or sell or otherwise deal in goods or services where such activities are exclusively related to its principal purposes.
Maj. Ivan Marmara’ - President
M.M.A.F.A Copyright 2022
1.1 The name of the Association shall be the Malta Model Aircraft Flying Association herein after called the MMAFA or the Association.
2. Definition
2.1 The Malta Model Aircraft Flying Association is a non-profitable Association of people who as a hobby enjoy building and/or flying model aircraft for pleasure and for participation in competitive events.
3. Aims
3.1 The aims of the Association are to foster friendship and understanding between model aircraft enthusiasts, young and old alike and also to promote a general interest in aviation especially the acquisition of a more intimate knowledge of the physics of flight, model aircraft engines, electronics and the operation of radio control equipment.
4. Legal Representation
4.1 The legal representation for the Association shall be vested upon the incumbent President.
4.2 Ta Qali Model Aircraft Flying Site - Any significant issue and/or development which may affect the Malta Model Aircraft Flying site at Ta Qali must be subject to AGM or EGM approval
5. Membership
5.1 Persons over 18 years of age may join the Association as Full members.
5.1.1 Persons over 65 years of age shall be considered as members who shall pay a reduced rate.
5.2 Persons under 18 years may join as Junior members.
5.3 New applicants shall be seconded by two Committee members.
5.4 The committee shall have the right to refuse a membership application, upon giving a valid reason for such refusal. Such refusal and reason for refusal shall be sent to the applicant in writing, thereby specifying the timeframes and procedure to file an appeal. Such appeal shall be heard by an independent board approved by the AGM on a yearly basis. Furthermore, the appeal shall be heard within reasonable time and in no case later than three (3) weeks from the date of refusal of application. Provided that no application shall be left pending for a period exceeding fifteen (15) days without a decision of acceptance or refusal being sent to the applicant.
5.4.1 A new member shall be subject to a probationary period of 12 months, during which time said member shall not be entitled to a key to the flying site and may not be present alone at the flying site at any time.
5.4.2 A new member may attend but shall not vote at an AGM / EGM held during the probationary period.
5.4.3 At the end of the 12 month probationary period, the member shall be confirmed by the committee with full site access and voting rights provided that the member had conducted himself /herself in accordance with the Statute and Standing regulations.
5.4.4 Membership may be revoked by the committee at any time during the probationary period if said member does not conduct himself/herself in accordance with the Statute and/or Standing regulations and after having ignored verbal and /or written warnings and/or instructions by the Committee to comply.
5.5 The Committee or members may from time to time propose that Full Members be given Honorary Membership.
5.6 The categories of membership are as follows:
- Honorary members
- Full members
- Junior members
- Non-flying members
- Members aged over 65 years
- Family membership
5.7 All members and new member applicants are to declare any interest in any commercial activity involving the use of remote control aircraft or aerial vehicles of any type as this may constitute a conflict of interest with the Association’s definition and activity (Art.2 )
6. Administration
6.1 The Association shall be governed by a Committee elected by its members every year as set out in article 9.0
6.2 The Committee shall consist of the following:
- A President
- A Vice-President
- A Secretary
- A Treasurer
- A Public Relations Officer
- Two members
7. Sub-Committees
7.1 The Committee may delegate work to sub-committees consisting of two or more full members, not necessarily Committee members.
8. Independent Competitions Commission
8.1 The Committee is to nominate an independent Commission for each competition and the members of the Commission cannot take part in that competition.
9. Elections
9.1 Unless there is a vote of no confidence in the Committee, there shall be one election every year during a General Meeting.
9.2 If during an election a tie between nominated members exists, another vote shall be taken to establish who of the tied nominees is to serve on the Committee.
9.3 The President shall be elected by the greatest number of preference votes (P) during elections
9.4 Elections shall be coordinated by two election tellers who shall be voluntarily chosen from the members present at the meeting.
9.5 Only paid up members and honorary members, excluding any members on probation, are allowed to vote in any election.
10. Nominations
10.1 No member can be nominated for election to the Committee if the said member forms part of the committee of any other radio control model club. Likewise, no Committee member can seek election on the committee of any other radio control model club.
10.1.1 Members who have declared any commercial interest in accordance with art. 5.7 are not eligible to serve on the committee.
10.2 A member can only be nominated to sit on the Committee if he has been a Full Member for at least two consecutive years.
10.3 Those members of the committee whose term of office has expired may be nominated again to serve a further term.
11. Complaints
11.1 A member who has any complaint shall inform the Committee in writing, and the matter will be brought up during the following Committee meeting.
11.2 When a member makes a protest to the Committee, the member has the right to be present when the protest is discussed at the Committee meeting.
11.3 For disputes arising during or after competitive events, an independent Commission of three members acceptable to both or all parties is to be nominated by the Committee to seek a just solution. The Commission's decision shall be final and binding.
12. Absenteeism
12.1 Every Committee member shall do his utmost to attend all meetings.
12.2 A Committee member who for valid reasons cannot attend a Committee meeting must inform the Secretary in advance. His apologies for absence will be recorded in the minutes book.
12.3 A Committee member who for invalid reasons is absent from three consecutive Committee meetings may be replaced by a newly elected member.
13. Resignations
13.1 If any Committee member or Appeals Independent Board member wishes to resign, then he must submit his resignation in writing to the President or the Secretary.
13.1.1 In the event of the resignation of the President, an EGM shall be called within 30 working days and fresh elections shall be held to elect a new President and Committee. In the meantime, the remaining committee members shall continue to administer the Association with the sole task of calling an EGM and holding another election. Existing committee members may be nominated again for re-election together with new nominees who may wish to contest.
13.2 In the event of a resignation of a committee member other than the President, a new committee member shall be appointed from those members who contested the last election in the order of the number of votes cast. Should no such members be available, the committee shall exercise the right to co-opt one member of the association who is fully paid up and has been a member for at least two consecutive years or is an honorary member.
13. 3 If however further members of the committee resign during the term of office, and no nominees from the previous election are still available to serve, an extraordinary general meeting shall be called to seek nominations to fill the vacant positions.
13.4 In the event of resignation of any Appeals Independent Board Chairperson or member, the Committee has the power to appoint another person to fill the vacant post.
14. Committee meetings
14.1 These shall be held as and when required but not less than four times annually.
14.2 The Secretary shall keep a record of the minutes of every meeting and this record shall be read by the Secretary for approval by the Committee at the next meeting. If the secretary is absent, another Committee member nominated by the members present may take his place.
14.3 When during a Committee Meeting, the Committee has given equal number of votes for and against the proposal the President shall give the casting vote. The President’s vote decides whether the proposal is passed.or not. This shall be recorded by the Secretary in the Minutes of the meeting.
15. Other meetings
15.1 An Annual General Meeting must be held every year either in January or February. At this meeting the Treasurer shall present his report audited by two members appointed during the previous AGM. An up-to-date inventory of the Association's material assets shall also be presented.
15.2 An Extraordinary General meeting may be held at any time following a call by any member having the backing of at least one third of the members.
15.3 An Extraordinary General Meeting may be called at any time by the Committee provided that the Secretary or his substitute mails the notice to all members at least seven days before the meeting.
15.4 Only paid-up members are allowed to participate in all the Association’s meetings.
16. Quorum
16.1 A quorum for Committee meetings shall consist of at least four members. The President or Vice-President must be present.
16.2 A quorum for General Meetings shall consist of 30 members including the members of the Committee.
17. Membership Fees
17.1
- Honorary members shall not pay any membership fees.
- Full members shall pay an annual fee of €85
- Members aged 65 years and over shall pay an annual fee of €60
- Junior members shall pay an annual fee of €55
- Family Memberships:€85 for an adult family member and €40 for each junior member
- Non flying members shall pay an annual fee of €40
17.4 Fees include insurance cover for third party risks at Ta' Qali. Members not paying their fee by the end of February will have their membership terminated.
17.5 The Committee reserves the right to alter these fees if the need arises after approval by General Meeting.
17.6 Only new members may be enrolled on a quarterly pro-rata basis during a current calendar year.
17.7 A copy of the Association’s third-party insurance cover is to be provided to all members.
17.8 Tertiary, University and Specialist Course Students attending education courses of one year duration or more, shall be entitled to a yearly rate of €55 (same as junior members) during their Academic course. Such students must provide Official documentation confirming their status.
18. Finance
18.1 The Treasurer shall keep an up-to-date record of all income and expenditure incurred by the Association.
18.2 All the expenses incurred by the Association must have the approval of the Committee.
19. Rules
19.1 The Committee has the power to issue rules from time to time and every member must abide by these rules. Any rules so made must be communicated by circular to all members and every new member shall be given a copy by the secretary.
19.2 Every Committee member shall have the power to stop any member from flying at Ta' Qali if the latter's actions or equipment create a hazard to other members and the public.
19.3 The Committee is also empowered to suspend the membership of any member if said member does not conduct himself / herself in accordance with the Statute and Standing regulations and ignores verbal and/or written warnings and/or instructions by the Committee to comply. However, the committee will, beforehand, have appointed an independent commission made up of three MMAFA members acceptable to both parties as arbiters with the objective of seeking a just solution. The member facing suspension has the right to plead his/her case before this commission.
19.3.1 The commission’s recommendations shall be taken into account in the final decision by the Committee. The final decision and the commission’s recommendations shall be made known to all members.
19.4 Unless so suspended, a member is entitled to insurance coverage in the event of a claim and the Committee shall afford all assistance to support the claim.
20. Operation of R/C Equipment
20.1 Members may only operate R/C equipment on the radio frequencies specified by the Chief Inspector of Wireless Telegraphy from time to time.
21. Limitation of use of site
21.1 The association has the lease from the Government of Malta of the flying site at Ta' Qali. The association binds itself not to make use of the site for any activity other than aero modelling. Third parties will not be permitted to make use of the site for any activity whatsoever. The Association, however, may grant permission to the Aviation Museum Foundation to utilize the site for the occasional (maximum of 14 days annually) positioning flights of its restored aircraft.
22. Dissolution
22.1 In the event of dissolution of the Association, all the property of the Association without any exception shall be liquidated and the proceeds shall be applied in favour of another nonprofit organisation with similar purposes as the Association and selected by the administration in charge of the liquidation.
23. Statute
23.1 A copy of the statute shall be available for downloading on the association’s website, www.mmafataqali.com
23.2 For further details regarding procedures, the book "ABC of Chairmanship" by Lord Citrine shall apply.
24. Statute Amendments
24.1 The Statute may be amended only at Annual or Extraordinary General Meetings provided that two-thirds majority of the members present is obtained. 24.2 Proposed amendments are to be submitted in writing to the Secretary at least 14 days before the AGM.
24.3 In the event that an Extraordinary Meeting is called in order to change the Statute the proposed change is to be submitted along with the signed request by the proposer/s and one third of the paid up members.
25. Pecuniary gains
25.1 The Association may obtain a pecuniary gain from its activities when such gain is not received or credited to any private interest but is exclusively utilised for the purposes of the Association.
25.2 The Association may buy or sell or otherwise deal in goods or services where such activities are exclusively related to its principal purposes.
Maj. Ivan Marmara’ - President
M.M.A.F.A Copyright 2022