Highlights of the March 28th Meeting. – Derived from the draft minutes.

Meeting presentation: Gord Beck of McMaster University made an interesting presentation on the
history and development of photography, with an emphasis on the use of photography during the
First World War. He demonstrated the task of taking pictures of enemy strongholds from an open
cockpit biplane with a heavy camera, and ended with advice on the interpretation and use of current
day photographs.

New Plane: Nicolas Jacob presented his latest most interesting plane.

Membership: Trevor reported that paid-up membership stands at 139. He noted that membership is approximately 36 short of 2018 numbers and he plans to send a reminder notice to unpaid members.

Web Development: Peter reported that the new website was up and running. A few break in issues had been dealt with. The consensus is that the new site is working satisfactorily. Several questions mainly about changes to the site were addressed satisfactorily.

Events:
Maidenfest – Trevor reported that he is expecting about 40 pilots and has sent invitations to other local clubs. The public is not invited and no MAAC sanction is required. Date is May 4.
Warbirds – Tim reported normal progress and that food requirements are now under control.
Float Fly – Peter reported that the annual float fly had been cancelled for 2019 due to increased costs from park management and the limited attendance.
Toledo show – When Ashley mentioned organizing a dinner on Friday or Saturday there was no response.

Wings: Tim noted that there are 12 new members and only 3 have signed up for the Wings programme. He requested that anyone interested in being an instructor to speak to him soon.

Cadet Programme: Geoff, who has a long standing relationship with Air Cadets, reported they are meeting every two weeks and the instruction is going well.

Field Reports:

Bayview – Doug E. is looking for members to help with mowing this summer. He is checking local suppliers for equipment.

Bronte – Tom reported that the field is in good shape although still soft. No issues.

Safety: Doug M. commented that Version 4 of the Safety Manual would be loaded on the web site very
soon. He reminded members that safety would be an agenda item every meeting. He requested that
problems or issues be raised for discussion at the meeting. He commented on the new DOT rules and
noted that the exemption for MAAC members has not been issued by TC.  He is trying to find what will
be put in place. He asked that Incident Reports be prepared to act as a learning tool. Finally Doug
confirmed that putting the name of the owner and MAAC number in each plane is still a good idea.

Chairman’s Remarks: Ashley reminded the members that volunteers were the lifeblood of the Club and
again asked for a volunteer to edit Skywords. (Note: After the meeting had concluded, Nick Jacobs
volunteered and was asked to speak to Tom about the transition).

Field Improvement: In response to several e mails, Trevor and Doug M. reported on behalf of the Committee. The history of the project was outlined, the costs (including the phasing thereof) were again outlined and it was noted that approval for proceeding with the first phase of the project was received at the January 2019 AGM. Several questions including the need to do this work now, were addressed. Doug M. reviewed the three original concepts, and outlined why the fill and cover proposal was recommended. The requirement for adequate drainage was discussed and finally the fact that the project is considered a “Cap Improvement” contributes to the excellent cooperation received from both the City and the Region. Trevor also noted that the survey work had started. He expects to see a draft contract shortly.
After discussion, there was agreement to continue with the proposal as presented by the Committee
for Phase 1 at a cost of $13,000.

Communication with Members: The e mails referred to by Trevor led to a discussion about
communicating with club members. It was suggested that a significant change to a field, or other major
event, required a different level of communication with members. A request to include a limitation on
expenditures that could be made without Member approval was dropped.
There was considerable discussion about communication. Two motions were introduced. One motion would require that major field changes be presented at a meeting, applicable information circulated to members and approval for the change be obtained at the next meeting.
The second motion called for a requirement that all members have a way to vote on issues (not defined)
either by proxy, e mail or regular mail.
Although both motions were discussed, it was agreed that they would be tabled and discussed at the
Board level. Also it was agreed that the Board would report back to the Club meeting on the motions.