In April 2005, when the new presidency and sports commission took over the Association, our heads were full of ideas and solutions. When I now go through the minutes of the meetings of the Presidency, the SK and the Council, I see that some things were successful and some less so. The main issues we dealt with were the support of the starting points, the funding of the representation (especially the VW Transporter), and the talented youth.
Tasks resulting from the conclusions of general meetings
The resolution of both General Meetings held last year resulted in a request to amend the LAA statutes in the sense of limiting voting rights at the General Meeting for members who do not hold a valid pilot license and establishing the minimum number of participants at which the General Meeting has a quorum. These changes were first discussed at the Council and then presented to the LAA Conference for approval. Restrictions on suffrage were adopted. In the discussion regarding the determination of the minimum number of quorums of the VH, objections were raised both at the Council and at the conference that the set limit may cause problems (how to set it, what if the minimum is 50 and 49 arrive). And since there is a mechanism for calling an extraordinary General Assembly, this proposal was rejected both at the Council and at the LAA Conference. Based on the resolution of the Board of Directors, the Organizational Rules of the Union PG were changed (the current version is on the website).
Support for launch sites
Last year, the support of the starting points took place according to the original contracts. Support for the creation and modification of the starting area in Zvíčín was also included in the program. In total, we managed to secure 80 CZK, of which 000 came from the funds of the PG Association. The association is interested in equipping the take-off site with high-quality maps with airspace distribution. I therefore ask the managers of the starting areas who are interested in the local map to contact us. The aim of this is to give pilots sufficient information about the areas near the take-off or near the main flight directions.
Space for flying
The LAA is trying to preserve space for flying. Together with the union, a meeting was held with representatives of the Slovak LAA about the possibilities of flying across the border. After mutual cooperation, it was possible to negotiate the possibility of crossing the border for the Envy Beskydy Open 2005 races. As the LAA managed to get a place in the commission for the distribution of airspace, the question of flying across the border is now on the agenda and our representative, Miroslav Fejt, writes about it in the magazine Pilot.
Aviation Act
Discussions are currently taking place in the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic. The law is in the so-called 2nd reading, and the LAA prepared amendments to the proposed proposal at the last meeting of the Council. On January 17.1.2006, XNUMX, another meeting was held on the draft implementing decree for the Aviation Act. Among other things, this decree regulates mandatory medical examinations. Miroslav Fejt defended the interests of HIPL skydivers at the meeting. We will inform about the conclusions.
Insurance
The LAA has always provided insurance for its members. Unfortunately, the offer of Czech insurance companies does not meet the requirements of some EU countries (a very high level of coverage for damages to third parties is required). Negotiations in September of last year with the Transylvania insurance office did not turn out favorably. At the end of the year, we approached the insurance company AXA and negotiations are currently underway, but they are looking very good.
EHPU
We sent a letter to the EHPU (European Hang Gliding And Paragliding Union, www.ehpu.org), with a request to join this organization. The main task of the EHPU is to promote the interests of pilots in the European Union and is a partner of the FAI. Just for interest, the EHPU received a statement from the European Commission that EU Directive No. 785 (regulates insurance conditions, requires very high coverage in connection with terrorism) does not apply to motorless paragliding and hang gliding. Our membership must now be decided by the EHPU Conference, which should take place in February.
Sports talents 2005
Tenders were held to organize training camps for sports talents. Unfortunately, due to the insufficient presentation, fewer participants took part in the 5st training camp at Raná than in previous years. Other camps have already taken place with great participation, unfortunately the weather was a bit unfavorable for the thermal course. Talented youths formed the skeleton of the Czech national team at the World Championship in Srbský Niš and won excellent results (1th place overall, 3st place for women and XNUMXrd place in teams). This year, it will be necessary to increase the promotion of the program so that, with the arrival of new pilots, the competition between pilots will increase.
Representation
The Board of Directors and the Sports Commission informed the participants of the general meeting of the draft rules for the distribution of representation funds (the rules are published on www.svazpg.cz). Unlike previous years, there are clear criteria that determine what the representatives will be paid. Emphasis is placed on securing the entire national team. The rules for using the representative VW Transporter caused a lot of discussion. Since the car can only be used by members of the national team, we tried to set up the system so that the operation does not have to be subsidized from union funds. The car was used enough that it "paid for itself".
Our plans for this year's pilot season
- improving pilot awareness on take-off areas (ICAO maps, ...)
- support for the organization of events to promote paragliding (the conditions of this program will be published by mid-February on the association's website)
- improvement of the association's existing website so that it is a quality information portal for paragliding
- new form of ČPP (currently there are two interested in organizing this competition)
- support for the organization of quality competitions (League, MČR in overflights and landing accuracy)
- support of state representation
- support of the Sports talents 2006 program
How can you help us?
- Your active approach. If you have any information that you think could help all LAA (PG Association) members? Contact LAA staff or Union PG board members. Nothing can be solved on internet forums…
- Do you find the articles in Pilot uninteresting and would you like to change that? Write an article. If you are interested, the Union PG is looking for a representative to the editorial board of the Pilot, who has a direct influence on what comes out in the Pilot.
- Are you interested in organizing an event (competition) and don't know how to do it? There are people in the board and the sports commission who have experience in organizing events and will certainly be happy to help.
Kamil Konečný for the presidency of the Union PG