RAAus AGM This Saturday at YLED Lethbridge Victoria

[Guest Maj Millard]

I will be there

And you were Ian...nice to chat to you again personally once again.............Maj...

 

 

[kgwilson]

I look at the comments this way. There are positives and negatives, the glass half full or the glass half empty, doomsayers verses aviation utopia etc.

 

I have to admit that prior to that special meeting called by Andy, David & Co 18 months ago I was among the negatives. It seems there are still a number of these around. I have been involved with Clubs and organisations for over 40 years & spent most of my working career organising people and business retiring 10 years ago from a company a few of us had the vision and fortitude to take from revenues around 30 million to 550 million in 7 years.

 

For what it is worth, what I have seen evolve within RA-Aus since that special general meeting has made me one of the very enthusiastic positives for the future of this business (organisation). The talent we now have on the board and their enthusiastic desire to make Ra-Aus the premier RAO in the country in a little over 18 months is nothing short of miraculous. You have my unwavering support. My only advice is keep your eye on the ball always & stay ahead of the game.

 

The big roadblock or the way around has the same name. IF and it is a big IF the 37 recommendations from the Aviation Safety Regulation Review (Forsyth Report) are implemented and the regulator, on the basis of this, changes its approach from adversarial to collaborative to bring it in to line with other major western aviation authorities, recreational aviation will not only prosper but our safety record and public perception is also likely to improve.

 

 

[facthunter]

When I addressed the board at Lethbridge and asked some questions I made clear my status to all in attendance,(stated as Lapsed member) and clearly did not vote on any issue.. I clarified my position with the permanent staffer, re attendance, prior to taking a seat, next to the famous Ian Baker. Nev

 

 

[Guest Maj Millard]

When I addressed the board at Lethbridge and asked some questions I made clear my status to all in attendance,(stated as Lapsed member) and clearly did not vote on any issue.. I clarified my position with the permanent staffer, re attendance, prior to taking a seat, next to the famous Ian Baker. Nev

Facto, I didn't know you were there otherwise I would have come and said hello....I don't believe you need to be a member to attend the AGM as a member of the public...open to all as far as I know.......

 

 

[facthunter]

We shook hands and you thanked me for the support. It's ok. I am very forgettable. Nev

 

 

[Guest Maj Millard]

We shook hands and you thanked me for the support. It's ok. I am very forgettable. Nev

Sorry mate obvious didn't 't realise it was you....I did chat with a lot of people on Saturday...Cheers, Ross

 

 

[facthunter]

I didn't exactly advertise who I was. I was very happy how it all went. I think the team is capable of delivering the goods from now on The worst is behind us. Nev

 

 

[DonRamsay]

Well, I had a great time at the AGM despite the cost of flying down from Newcastle (Jetstar).

 

Got to meet up with all the Board except possibly Eugene. Also got to spend a bit of time with the new CEO of whom I had heard only good things. Michael Linke seems to me to be personable with good management experience and clear vision for what he wants to do at RA-Aus. We do now have a great Board and a strong management team. The Board had a Governance training session before the AGM and that on its own is representative of such a difference from the old RA-Aus that was not very interested in concepts like governance.

 

There is No doubt in my mind that the Feb 2013 EGM at Queanbeyan was a turning point for RA-Aus - for the much better. I think I speculated around that time, pessimistically, that I though RA-Aus days were numbered. I am now convinced we have a bright future even if it will take perhaps another 12 months before that is obvious to all. The worst days are certainly behind us.

 

The two Special Resolutions we proposed, being minor fixes of the Constitution, went through unopposed although Max Brown thought about voting against one of them but decided better - perhaps because he was within punching range of where I was sitting.

 

Unfortunately, I had to dash off at 16:15 to see a man about an aeroplane and to get to Tullamarine in time for my flight home. At least I finally got enjoy the privilege of shaking Nev's hand on the way out the door. Sorry I hadn't known it was you Nev before and we could have had a proper chat. One day!

 

Jim Tatlock went to a lot of trouble to present the financial numbers which, while not good, were a huge improvement over where we looked like finishing the financial year. There is still a bit of red ink to come out in 2014-15 but the CEO and the Board are working hard to minimise or eliminate the deficit. There was discussion of the need for CASA to kick in a great deal more funding for the CASA work done by RA-Aus. However, getting more money out of the present government when they are trying hard to balance their own books is never going to be easy.

 

Really good to get the chance to chat with our host, Ian B, as well - hadn't seen Ian since Queanbeyan.

 

 

[Admin]

My concerns which are only 2 are firstly the deficit of a budgeted ($300k) loss for the next year which I will hope that subject to no other extraordinary events will be pulled back and I understand the potential strategic reasons for the loss but let's hope it's the last deficit we are faced with. Secondly the statement by the new CEO, who has absolutely no aviation knowledge or experience, said that he refuse to read forums such as this one.

 

When I was doing my MBA a lecturer said that to be a great CEO, read the paper every day and ask yourself with everything that you read "is this going to have any impact on my business?". These forums are the largest and most popular form of interaction between RAAus members and there is no better way to "know" what is happening, how members feel, issues at hand etc than to read your posts, not to mention what the CEO will actually get to learn about aviation. I personally think that statement by the CEO was not only ignorant but showed to me he wants to stay in the dark as far as the members are concerned.

 

Let's hope he changes his tune and takes an interest in what the members are really saying and read about the changing state of the Association instead of preferring to stay in the dark and only listen to a small minority

 

 

[Russ]

Bad news indeed , if he only plans to read from his " in tray " we do have a problem in the making.

 

Maybe....he's just marking time here, with eyes elsewhere. ( watch this space ) ??

 

 

[Guest Andys@coffs]

What follows is my personal opinion as a member. It should not be read as me reporting board thinking.

 

In talking to a number of other board members I got a recurring theme that there is too much negativity on this site.....I personally don't see it that way, but the thing about perception is that their perception is their reality. I can hardly claim to be "above" the negativity, over the years it may well have been my comments that they were talking to.

 

However, its a fool that talks to say a 1/2 doz, gets a similar story from the majority and then claims they have it all wrong, and Im all ok.....

 

So, I intend to try and identify for each negative comment I might want to make, to any post, to add a positive note as well, its pretty rare that you cant find anything positive to say at all.

 

The fact that RAAus has lasted as long as it has, and has more members today than it ever has before would suggest that not everything is wrong......

 

With regard the deficit..... If it was BAU (Business As Usual) then the claim that we need to turn these around is wholly sound. If, however, we are prepared to invest in significant change such that future years are more efficient, from a cost and timeliness perspective, than currently is the case, then it may well be that our current year deficit is double (as an example only!) what has been discussed. I personally would not be concerned if that was the case providing that the changes are not more than 12 -18 months in duration and the projects as much as possible are not big bang delivery at the end, but rather are lots of incremental improvement (where technically feasible to deliver that way)....

 

I very much believe that what was presented as the budget at the AGM will be useful in terms of a reference point, but expect the years actuals to bear only passing similarity, however I expect monthly forecast reporting to identify at all times where we are going so that the final result for the year is not in anyway a case of "Hmm so that's how much we spent....."

 

Russ, having seem Michael in action, I think your suggestions are unlikely to be the case, in fact I believe we may well have the start of a degree of stability that I personally have been looking for. Stability can be good, or bad, we had stability under a previous CEO, but we also had stagnation.....Stability where the boards strategic objectives are actioned in a timely manner and regularly reported on is the stability I'm looking for

 

Andy

 

 

[Admin]

Andy, isn't "too much negativity" in itself an indicator that could be taken on board. Take for example a person not performing in his job at work, often it is not that he is a bad performer in his duties but could be a result of problems at home...The bad work performance is the indicator and not the cause.

 

Even so, a grown up in a position of CEO or board rep should be able to see the whole picture rather than just one color of it

 

 

[Guest Andys@coffs]

Ian

 

I wasn't reporting "the problem" merely what I was told. I'm not claiming it is, or isn't the issue, merely what I intend to do personally to turn that around. I cant see that my approach, as a guiding principle is wrong, if people always try to find the good with the bad then I cant see how doing so will undermine the negative claims but may well make here a more "balanced" view.

 

As I say, its what I will try to do....what others do will always be up to them....and the moderators view of what is acceptable.

 

Andy

 

 

[Captain]

I would expect that an experienced Manager (who does not have to be an experienced aviator) could relatively quickly scan this Forum each day (just go to "What's New" each morning over a coffee) and gain a handle on existing and arising issues outside of any CASA or RA-OZ clique or sanitising. (A relevant issue may be the status of the Ops and Tech Manuals where the boss MAY possibly be being told that it is all in hand and hunky-dory, yet there remains a good quantity of disquiet & dissatisfaction amongst some members. Those members might be right or wrong, but the RA-Oz boss needs to be aware of it.)

 

 

 

He or she would also quickly be able to evaluate the worthwhile contributions and contributors.

 

 

 

Just as a good Manager scans the business sections of the papers, or the entire Fin Review, or the trade press, each day and while considering every press article with a grain of salt (none that have involved my companies have ever been 100% correct unless pushed out by our PR people), but can then further research those issues that are spotted which are relevant to their position.

 

 

 

For an RA-Oz senior manager or board member to ignore this Forum is foolhardy and wasting a valuable resource. And if any of them think they are "above it" or can't be bothered, then it may be a dangerous sign.

 

 

 

Regards Geoff

 

 

[Admin]

He stated that this site is not moderated to which I replied with a HELL YES, I explained we have 4 independent moderators and I believe we could work closer together for the benefit of RAAus and all the members, including referencing the remake of the RAAus website, we exchanged business cards opening it up for further discussion. I have done all I can do for the time being so let's hope something does come of it or we are back in the ignorance days again however, it is early days and we never know something until it is pointed out to us but we are judged on what we do with it...I for one will give the benefit of the doubt at this stage and wish him well because he has other attributes that RAAus needs from this position

 

 

[fly_tornado]

Ross, I am always keen to hear good news from the Board. So please hit me with some good numbers.

 

Membership and fleet growth, cost cuttings. How many new members are there in your area, have you had a chance to speak with any of them?

 

My favourite one is a quantifiable increase in engagement between board members and ordinary members.

 

You where elected to fix problems and create new opportunities for members.

 

 

[rhysmcc]

It's no surprise members are more likely to voice negative opinion on this site then positive, it's human nature and isn't limited to this forum. I wonder how many phone calls or emails they get direct from members with only positive comments?

 

 

[Keith Page]

One for you F-T.. Just a positive one.

 

I would like to know what you can do for RAAus. to make us grown into the 21st. century?

 

Regards

 

KP.

 

 

[Keith Page]

Ross, I am always keen to hear good news from the Board. So please hit me with some good numbers.Membership and fleet growth, cost cuttings. How many new members are there in your area, have you had a chance to speak with any of them?

 

My favourite one is a quantifiable increase in engagement between board members and ordinary members.

 

You where elected to fix problems and create new opportunities for members.

re. the statement "Quantifiable engagement bettween board members and ordinary members".

 

We had our first ever fly in at Thangool and Thangool is in the South Qld devision..

 

We only saw one board member from the south, there are three down your way..

 

Ross from Nth.Qld came down and gave us his support and Ross enjoyed the week end and as did a big bunch of other people from Nth Qld..

 

For all the good information to hand about:- Ross won the greatest distance flown.

 

Regards

 

KP.

 

 

[Guest Andys@coffs]

One for you F-T.. Just a positive one.I would like to know what you can do for RAAus. to make us grown into the 21st. century?

Regards

 

KP.

Or even what others can do.......I am certainly open to good ideas to feed into our strategy for the future which will be documented in the near future (certainly before EOY)

Andy

 

 

[facthunter]

It's a lot easier to criticise than be constructive. We seem to be inclined that way. Those who have done the sort of work we expect our board to do (for NO pay) are probably more understanding of the situation. Other organisations have similar problems to us. so we are not alone in this respect..

 

Are our expectations too high? Do we assume there will always be someone willing to step up for us to find fault with?. Think what you would do if it was your turn to do your bit.. Suggestions and critical evaluation are needed always. and be constructive...Nev

 

 

[DonRamsay]

It could be that Michael Linke, being new to RA-Aus and aviation, has listened to the old guard on the Board about giving RecFlying a wide berth. We have over the years chewed up and spat out more than one or two Board Members who have gone off in a huff never to return. But the newer people who are doing the right thing are comfortable to engage here.

 

If we want them to continue to come here then we need to converse with them with more respect than perhaps we give each other.

 

There is another issue that while this is the biggest group of RA-Aus members, it is still a relatively small proportion of the total membership, certainly lees than half and perhaps less than one-third? There is an obligation on Board Members to share information equally with members and not just with a chosen group. Michaels Monck and Linke address this with bulk emailed newsletters which are improving in frequency and content.

 

Perhaps because Michael Linke is new to aviation and RA-Aus he needs to be a little guarded initially until he becomes more familiar and better able to see the B/S from the good stuff? He was hired to be a good manager, establish strong governance, drive down costs and support and mentor the people who report to him and to support the President in liaison with our masters CASA and the Federal Government. His first few months have shown promise and I for one am prepared to give him 12 months to get established and more confident in all matters aviation.

 

 

[DonRamsay]

Regarding the deficit, a few hard decisions on high cost items like the magazine could see the budgeted deficit eliminated. A balanced budget is not out of reach and the budget is not out of control and the attention of the CEO and Board Exec are sharply focused on it.

 

Investment in better information technology (IT systems in particular) can be treated as a capital investment and amortised over a few years and has a lesser effect on the deficit. However, there will need to be boots on the ground to drive the advancement of IT and that will be treated as an expense of the year in which it is incurred and will directly affect the bottom line. We need to wear this in the short term for the significant cost reductions and improvements in members service that will be generated by system improvements.

 

If we want big cost reductions then we may need to give up our glossy mag and accept it as something to read on the iPad. If we want to keep a high cost structure then the Board will have to increase membership fees something I am categorically opposed to.

 

 

[01rmb]

The key issue for me is - who does the RA-Aus CEO work for? If not for the members then who? If the CEO is not engaging and listening to the people he works for then how does he know if he is doing the right thing? If he works for the board, then how do they engage with the members?

 

If the CEO is making decisions then maybe he would be better served to know what the people in the organisation he is meant to be representing actually want.

 

The new email circulars are a great way to send information out and the surveys are an attempt to gather information but it is only on a specific topic and potentially has a biased agenda. A forum like this and even better one on the RA AUS web site would provide a critical source of member's issues, desires and general sentiment.

 

Times have changed and RA-Aus needs to move on. Forums and social media are way more accurate mechanisms to engage with the people who each have an opinion on what matters to them rather than have a board representative that was voted in by only a few members and may not have any contact with anyone outside his personal circle of friends. Surely this forum or one specifically set up for the purpose would get a far better representation than the current board concept.

 

 

[DonRamsay]

The Board did say that they recognised that social media (RF is social media) is very important and particularly with the younger people who will replace us in time as recreational aviators. They also said that getting into social media requires that it be well resourced. Going in half-cocked and under resourced would be very counterproductive.

 

In his first few months, the last thing I would like to see our CEO do is disappear into fora and facebook. I agree somebody at RA-Aus should be monitoring social media as they monitor traditional media and perhaps supplying the CEO with a pointed summary of what is topical.

 

And guess what, we have Andy, Jim and the Maj posting here and a few others who monitor but don't post. What I would call a good start.