Annual Report from the President 2016

[sihinch]

As I review our year at TEMAC, I believe 2016 will be one of those years that we all look back on and say "wasn't that a fabulous time?"  It's hard to pick out any one particular event that stands out, but as I reflect, I think this is because we had so many events and activities that were great.

I'm going to start my report this year by thanking the Board, all the volunteers and the "usual suspects" who tirelessly give their time, imaginations and manual labour to keep our club fun, safe and in good health.  There are many aspects to providing everything required for us to have fun and enjoy flying our models – a nice field in good condition, a meeting place in winter, a training program, events for the summer & cooks for the BBQs.  Thank you to everyone who brought a plane to show 'n' tell, stood up to talk at a pilots meeting, helped with a build workshop, maintained the field, set up a student's plane, started a forum thread, sold a raffle ticket or helped clear the trash.

During the winter months, our Pilot's Meetings showcase the social aspect of the club.  We regularly have 30% of the membership meeting for good times and good conversation, twice every month.  Our Build classes have evolved and matured, and provide a valuable positive impact on the growth of skills within TEMAC.  It's great to see members helping members, passing on knowledge and tips that has been passed to them.

Also during the winter, and centred around knowledge sharing, a partnership and friendship with the Ryerson Aeronautical Engineering students flourished.  The commitment and dedication shown by the Ryerson teams was mirrored by TEMAC members, as we all went on a journey of discovery, learning about autonomous flight models.  Our forum provides a great catalogue of lessons learned and successes achieved. Check it out....

Early in the year, thanks to the generosity of the Higgins family, we had a fabulous auction of our Dear Friend, Jack Higgins' models & accessories.  I think it's wonderful that so many of his models have seen flight again this year, and his memory lives on in our model collections.  I am also very proud and happy that, in his honour, we now have the Jack Higgins Skills Challenge.

The flying season was long and successful this year, helped by the great weather.  I can't think of one TEMAC event that was negatively affected by the weather, and I'm pretty sure 95% of student nights were flyable, albeit windy at times!  I'd like to extend special thanks to Mike Hazelton for his 5 years of dedication as Chief Flying Instructor, and for creating a program and environment that has brought so many new Pilots in to the TEMAC culture.

I am also delighted and proud that we adapted so well this year to the growth of interest in FPV and multi-rotor aircraft.  Thank you to all members for respecting each other, the club rules, and safety common sense.  It proved to me that we can grow as a club and successfully integrate new aspects of the hobby, without negatively impacting the enjoyment or safety of all our members.

Despite some amazing times racing EF1 in Orangeville, I feel that TEMAC has more to give in terms of air racing in 2017.  I am committed to finding the right format for our club, based on your desires.  And I look forward to seeing more formation flying next year, a practice that seems to be popular at TEMAC – it's certainly fabulous to watch.  Please feel free to share your thoughts, wishes and comments on our forum.

I'd like to wish you & your families a safe and happy Holidays.  Here's to good health for 2017, and many, many hours of fun at TEMAC!

Sincerely,
Simon Hinchcliffe,
President, TEMAC