ALL MEMBERS ! Please fill out those proxy forms..!!

[Paul Catanach]

That being the case then someone has sorely misjudged the mood of the membership. Whatever the outcome this will create division between members and the board. Goodwill is going to be lost, certainly mine.

Why are the LAA allowing themselves to be hijacked for the purposes of promoting a commercial venture? If people at Sywell have the time for this perhaps they could also look into other things, like speeding up processes through the Engineering department.

Our (and I emphasise ‘our’) time and money should be spent on improving the LAA. Not on this, something that was done and dusted two years ago.

[mikehallam]

I too flew to the AGM through iffy weather to personally express my view and am disappointed with the LAA re-engaging in this tawdry affair.
If resigning my membership is what you are seeking, only the Permit is at stake.
What a sorry members association.
mike hallam

[L21-B]

This matter was closed in 2016 by a majority vote of the LAA members to rescind an award that was obtained through lies and deceit, myself voting by proxy as I was unable to attend.

[Donald Walker]

Interestingly the descriptive quote about the LAA as "the old men’s club of British light aviation" which appeared in the online article in The Times this morning has now been edited out. I wonder why?

I am concerned by Roger Hopkinson's reported suggestion in the article that the 2016 vote was "influenced by proxy voting" as though the votes of any of us who cannot attend the AGM are of lesser value than AGM attendees. Can I ask for his reply as to whether postal votes in a LAA forum are of any less value than those from members who do attend an AGM, or was he misquoted?

This version of the article includes the reference to "the old man's club of British light aviation" and also clearly states the Roger Hopkinson said exactly the opposite to what is quoted above.

Roger Hopkinson, the president of the LAA, rejects claims that the decision to rescind the Woodhams Trophy was influenced by proxy voting and declines to take a position other than calling Curtis-Taylor’s long-distance flights “not unusual by any stretch of the imagination”.

[Chris Martyr]

Perhaps I'm being a bit of a numpty here , but I can't quite see what the discrepancy is with Roger Hopkinson's alleged quotes.
The one bit I agree entirely with though is that there is nothing unusual in what she did . Given the opportunity , I'm sure that every LAA member and his/her mother in law would jump at the opportunity of an all expenses junket , staying in nice places , and having nice people to lug your Louis Vuitton's around , refuel the aeroplane for you and then getting it all publicised about what a fantastic achievement it all is .

Only trouble is though , I've got about the same visual appeal as Jack Hargreaves , and you know what that means don't you Tracey [ who I'm sure is reading this ] Yep,,,I have to pay for all my classic taildragger time myself . But that's what I do ! and so do many other LAA members !

You and your friends really need to sit down and ponder the facts over this and why there is so much feeling here . The world in which you and your cohorts operate , is a world apart from most grass-roots LAA'ers . And it is the grass-roots LAA'ers that you need to get on side , because on Oct21st , Sywell is going to be heaving with the buggers.
Roger Hopkinson's other remarks [ about the proxy voters] is also massively relevant . Because as per any shareholders meeting , they have many times more clout than the hand-wavers in the room .

As much as I'm sure you would love to exclude those awful proxy voters . The very inconvenient fact is ; You can't !

I am still at something of a loss in trying to figure out why this motion is being tabled . I am a perfectly civilised and [almost] respectable person. All other LAA'ers that I know seem to fall into this same category .
Tracey's PR machine seems to want to describe us all as a sad old lot envious old gits .

Spot-on baby ,,, ,,,,,only difference is , we pay for our flying overheads from our own finances !

[Donald Walker]

Does this make the discrepancy in the quotes clearer, Chris?

Roger Hopkinson's reported suggestion in the article that the 2016 vote was "influenced by proxy voting"

Roger Hopkinson, the president of the LAA, rejects claims that the decision to rescind the Woodhams Trophy was influenced by proxy voting

[ChampChump]

The "old man's club of British light aviation" doesn't suggest much respect for an organisation from which she'd like to receive an award. I have never found it to be so. The one thing I have in common with T C-T is that neither of us will ever be an old man. Perhaps my perception is based more on owning and operating a Permit aircraft, rather than the aftermath of a few high-profile trips, which is what seems to be the case. Those flights are great things for anyone to do or have done, but many of us might prefer awards to go to those who do so without a substantial amount of support, one way or another.

Whatever she's doing for herself, the brouhaha is doing no favours for those who have been and will be trying to achieve something award-worthy. I hope the LAA doesn't lost members over this, because that would likely please some factions as much as it would hurt the LAA.

[Paul Catanach]

Several of us have asked here (rhetorically) why this has been brought up again but on another forum the question has been raised more directly.

So I'll ask it here. If we are going to be subjected to this farce then I think we should be told why. Why has this been raised? Why is the proposal being put forward? What pressure is being put upon the Board to entertain this nonsense rather than dismiss it out of hand?

I cannot believe that the Board want this grief an more than we do so what's making this happen?

[Brian Hope]

Hi Paul and all who ask why the Association is getting involved with this issue again. The simple answer is that this is a members' association and if a member decides he/she wants to put a Motion before the AGM, and it is carried out in accordance with the Articles, then nobody, including the Board, can decide it isn't able to be put to the AGM. If however, a Motion is put that is libellous, then it has to be amended or withdrawn.

Whilst I also would rather this affaire was not regurgitated, I would be even more disgusted if the Board decided they would not allow it to be heard (and I know that neither in 2016 nor now did the Board consider such action). If we don't have open and transparent democracy in this Association then we have nothing.

[DaveWhite]

Brian, I think that's fair enough:

The Association has a process, and it is essential that the process is followed regardless of subject or previous history.

However, I think that many of us are interested in the detail of what the Motion actually says.

I see no reason why, given that it seems to have been submitted already, we need to await the publication date and physical delivery of the magazine in order to read and consider the wording.

Perhaps the wording that will eventually drop on our doormats in the magazine can be posted here now?

[Paul Catanach]

Hi Brian

Thanks for the reply. I understand the rules but in this instance we're going back over old ground, unless of course there's something we the membership have not been told. And I'll be honest with you, I've heard from several sources that there is more to this.

If what I've heard is true then OUR association is being held to ransom. If on the other hand it's just idle speculation then the truth will clear the air. As djmwhite has said, perhaps rather than tell us to wait for the magazine the Board can tell us now?

[Chris Martyr]

if a member decides he/she wants to put a Motion before the AGM, and it is carried out in accordance with the Articles, then nobody, including the Board, can decide it isn't able to be put to the AGM.

I totally agree with Brian's sentiment !

But if it get's out-voted [again] then what happens next ? Will she be allowed to antagonise our organisation for year after year after year after year .

With consideration to the past , how much 'conduct unbecoming' has to be tolerated before membership withdrawal has to be considered ?

[Paul Catanach]

Chris, your last two paragraphs echo my concern, for how long can we expect to be subjected to such nonsense?

I believe Ms Curtis-Taylor is a member of the LAA (I may be wrong)? Why then is she so intent on antagonising her fellow members or, if not a member herself, members of an association who have already given their answer? Is the award really so important to her commercial enterprise?

My hope is that this proposal is merely going through the motions to allow the democratic process to be seen because I would hate to think someone at Turweston seriously thinks this is a good idea.

[dmcnicholl]

I believe Ms Curtis-Taylor is a member of the LAA...

Ms Curtis-Taylor is shown in the 'Meet Our Members' section.

...because I would hate to think someone at Turweston seriously thinks this is a good idea.

Presumably Stewart Jackson does.
How does one become a V-P of the LAA? Is it an elected post? Perhaps we need another motion on the table...

I do hope this gets defeated and that the LAA will never touch it again with a bargepole. It's far too divisive to be anything but a needless distraction.

[Ian Hoolahan]

I find it surprising that people are objecting to the vote at the AGM, as stated anything can be put up for a vote, I will be very surprised if the motion actually gets voted through though and I think everyone should look at her statements in the Times for how much credibility can be given to TCTs statements, I am thinking particularly of:-

He never flew the plane. The Stearman is not even fully dual. You can take the stick and follow it around, but he’s not flying it,” she says. That refers to the limited front controls that enable old tandem planes to be flown from either seat.

i think this with the photos on Pprune that show the "limited" front controls answer any questions about the intention of TCT to make correct statements I am sure she knows what dual controls are - not exactly showing intention to stick to the truth!