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CFSA Membership and Rules

Name: "The Central Flying School Association" (CFSA).

Aim of the Association: The CFSA was formed in 1951 to foster the spirit of friendship among members of the Association and the serving staff of the Central Flying School.

Membership: There are 2 forms of membership:

Life Membership.
Honorary Membership.

Qualifications for Membership: The following qualifications are eligible for Life Membership of the Association:

All past and present officers of the Royal Air Force, the Royal Navy, the Army, the Royal Flying Corps, the Royal Naval Air Service and the Air Forces of the British Commonwealth, who have served on the posted strength of the permanent staff of:

1. The Central Flying School since 1910.
2. The Gosport School of Special Flying from its formation to its disbandment.
3. The Empire Central Flying School from its formation to its disbandment.
4. No 7 Flying Instructors School (Upavon) from March 1942 until the reformation of CFS in 1946.
5. Commissioned members of the Royal Air Force Aerobatic Display Team, as long as it remains as part of CFS.
6. Central Flying School Agents.
7. All Station serving Officers serving at RAF Upavon, RAF Wittering, RAF Little Rissington (to include RAF South Cerney) and RAF Scampton during the presence of Central Flying School who have served at the Station for at least 6 months.
8. All NCO,or Warrant Officer flying instructors and NCO or Master Aircrew who satisfy the terms of sub paras 1 to 4 above

 Honorary Membership: On the recommendation of the Committee, the General Meeting shall have power to invite and enrol distinguished persons who have had a direct and active part in the affairs of CFS as Honorary Members of the Association.

Subscriptions: The subscription for Life Membership shall be by one payment of £10. Honorary Members shall not pay any subscription.

Patron, President and Vice President:

Patron. The Patron shall be a member of the Association. He shall be appointed by the Committee on the advice of the outgoing Patron and President. He shall be appointed for 5 years, but can be extended for one or two years for special reasons.

President. The President shall be a member of the Association. He shall be appointed by the Committee in consultation with the Patron. He shall normally be an ex-Commandant. He shall be appointed for 5 years with a possible extension of one or two years for special reasons. It will be the President's responsibility to advise the Chairman of the Committee (Vice President) on matters where advice is required.

 Management: The affairs of the Association shall be managed by a Committee consisting of:

The Commandant, an ex-officio Vice President of the Association and Chairman of the Committee.
Two serving members of the Association (not elected).
Honorary Secretary (ex-officio Honorary Secretary of the Association).

 The duties of the Committee are as follows;

Transact the normal business of the Association.
Veto any membership or dismiss any members from the Association for conduct considered by the Committee to be disgraceful.
Invest the funds of the Association.
Spend the funds of the Association to further the object of the Association defined in paragraph 2, without reference to a General Meeting.
Recommend alterations to the rules of the Association subject to confirmation by the next General Meeting of the Association.
In consultation with the Patron invite Guests to the Annual Reunion Dinner.

Annual Reunion: A dinner, or some other suitable function, shall be held each year, the place, time and date to be decided by the Committee. The Committee is empowered to arrange such other functions as special circumstances may require, provided that reasonable support is forthcoming. The Patron, President and Committee alone shall be entitled to invite guests to the Annual Reunion dinner, who are considered the guests of the Association. Evening dress shall be worn at all dinners (not Mess dress unless otherwise directed by the Committee) and orders, decorations and medals may be worn by those entitled.

General Meetings of the Association: The Annual General Meeting of the Association will normally be held on the same day as the Annual Reunion dinner. The Chair at a General Meeting shall be taken by the Chairman of the Committee (Vice President) and, in case of need he shall have a casting vote.

The Agenda for the Annual General Meeting will include:

The Committee's reports for the previous year.
The Balance Sheet.
Any proposal submitted to the meeting in accordance with the para below, or which the Chairman approves for discussion.

Every proposal for discussion at a General Meeting must:

Be in the form of a resolution bearing the names of the proposer and seconder whenever possible.
Relate directly to the management concerns of the Association. Decisions on matters before the Meeting shall be determined by a show of hands & the majority of the members present and voting.

Duties of the Honorary Secretary:

The Honorary Secretary shall;

Act on behalf of the Chairman and the Committee in accordance with the minutes of the committee meetings and such instructions as may be received from the Chairman of the Committee.
Conduct the correspondence of the Association, maintain proper accounts and records and render these for audit as appropriate.
Receive such monies on behalf of the Association and pay these into the Bank Account of the Association, retaining only such sums as may be necessary for postage and the immediate affairs of the Association.
Inform the Chairman of the Committee of any irregularity in the accounts, loss or excessive balance at the Bank which may arise.
Produce the books of the Association and any cash balance for examination by the Chairman whenever called upon to do so.
Provide the Audit Board with all the information that it requires about the affairs of the Association for the proper audit of the accounts, and submit the Balance Sheet to the AGM.
On behalf of the Committee, issue a newsletter annually to all members, giving the date, time and place of the Annual Reunion, and a summary of the work done by the Central Flying School in the previous year.
Keep a record of members of attending the Annual Reunion. Keep a supply of CFSA stock. Maintain an up-to-date register of all members of the Association.

 Association Ties:

The CFSA tie may only be worn by Life Members and Honorary Members of the Association.
The stripes of the CFSA tie are: Green - for the Salisbury Plain and the Army. Purple - for the Engineering branch of the Royal Navy from which most of the early ground instructors were drawn. Pale Blue - for the River Avon. Black - for the unknown future.

General:

All cheques should be made payable to "Royal Air Force Cranwell Service Funds". All communications and enquiries should be addressed to: The Honorary Secretary The Central Flying School Association Central Flying School Royal Air Force Cranwell SLEAFORD Lincolnshire NG34 8HB or e-mail: hqcfspa@cranwell.raf.mod.uk Members shall notify the Honorary Secretary of any change of address.