5. Souvenir Fund. Net sales remained strong at just over £1600 in FY 09/10 and re-stocking to the value of just over £1800. Total assets (stock and cash) now sits at £3505.27. A full summary is at Annex A.
6. Reunion Fund. The reunion fund exists to fund the annual reunion until bills are paid in arrears each year. The balance at 31 Mar 10 was £2916.91, up circa £150 on the previous year. The full summary is at Annex A.
7. Future Funding Arrangements: Impact of CRL. The Hon Sec / Treasurer briefed the membership on the MoD-wide Catering Retail and Leisure project (CRL). The aim of the project is to deliver core catering facilities on a pay-as-you-dine basis at a lower cost by allowing private industry to provide a broad range of additional services such as coffee shops retail outlets etc. The risk is that non-core activity, such as the CFSA reunion, may see an increase in prices if the good will that has been previously forthcoming is not extended by a new prime contractor. Whilst there is no action to be taken at this time, the Hon Sec /Treasurer will continue to monitor the situation. In the meantime, the tactic of partnering the CFSA reunion dinner with the formal graduation of QFIs allows preferential rates to be achieved. This will be repeated in 2011, however in the centenary year of 2012, there will necessarily be a de-confliction of the events.
8. Future Funding Arrangements: Reducing the Admin Burden. The Hon Sec advised the membership that the current arrangement of paying for the Reunion by sending a deposit then settling in arrears generates a large admin burden for HQ CFS (specifically Mrs Judith Cross). The process also requires that the Reunion fund sits at nearly £3000 throughout the year in order to act as a buffer between the event being held and all payments being received. It was proposed, and subsequently agreed by the membership, that from 2011 onwards the following policies would be adopted:
a. Payment for attendance at the Reunion will be in advance, based on a carefully estimated price set by the Hon Sec.
b. Payments will continue to be accepted by cheque, but the Hon Sec will also investigate whether an online or Credit Card system could be adopted at no cost.
c. Those unable to attend after making their payment will receive as much of a refund as possible in accordance with a fair cancellation policy to be developed and published by the Hon Sec.
d. The Reunion Fund will act as a "buffer" in the event of a disparity between the estimated and actual cost of the event. It can also be used to "cushion" any step-increases in costs associated with the CRL project or additional costs incurred by separating the Centenary celebrations from formal QFI graduations.
e. The overall intent is to reduce the size of the Reunion Fund which is, after all, money belonging to the CFSA members.
9. The Financial report was unanimously accepted.
ITEM 5 – COMDT CFS’ REPORT
10. Comdt CFS, Gp Capt Simon Blake, gave an update on the activities of CFS over the last year. Subjects included the recent overseas visits to Jorda, Oman, New Zealand and the notable success in Ethiopia. He also gave an account of the mid-air collision between Reds 6 and 7 in Kastelli, Crete, and explained how the RAFAT recovered from this setback. There was also an update on the work being done implementing the UK Military Flying Training System (UK MFTS).
11. In other news, the Comdt outlined the plans to make the CFS Sqns, which are currently embedded within flying training schools, more directly accountable to Comdt CFS. This is fundamentally a clarification of lines of responsibility rather than a physical relocation of personnel. There was also an update on the work being done to seek a new Comdt-in-Chief: the matter remains to be resolved, but Princes William and Harry are not available.
12. The Comdt was also asked about the progress of the Hawk T2. The membership were briefed that the T2 has a completely modernised cockpit which far better prepares student pilots for the latest generation of fast jet aircraft such as Tornado GR4, Harrier GR9 and Typhoon F2 & FGR4.
ITEM 6 - ANY OTHER BUSINESS
13. Silver Fund. The Hon Sec briefed the membership on the CFS silver fund. The fund remains healthy due to the contributions made by new QFIs as they join the main course. The overall condition of the Silver was generally good and any outstanding repairs were quite minor in nature. There was, however, a backlog in the engraving of winners’ names and the HQ admin support team were working with a local jeweller to both catch up on outstanding work and to establish a regular programme of engraving. The intention now is that, as far as practicable, trophies will be presented at graduations with up-to-date information.
14. CFS Museum. The Hon Sec briefed the membership that the project to relocate CFS historical artefacts from storage to the new museum facility had been completed. While the formal opening date of the RAF Cranwell Museum had yet to be set, the membership was invited to visit the museum as an additional item.
Hon Sec’s note: The visit to the museum took place after the flying display and was a great success. The Hon Sec will welcome any suggestions or contributions to improve the museum. Furthermore, any groups of CFSA members wishing to visit the Museum can do so by first contacting the Hon Sec to arrange access.
15. Centenary Celebrations. Comdt CFS advised the membership that a plan for the Centenary Celebrations would be developed shortly. The intent is that sufficient recognition is given to this milestone whilst also de-conflicting with the other major events in 2012, namely the diamond Jubilee and the London Olympic Games. The President asked that the membership consider how the CFSA should contribute to the CFS Centenary and requested that 3 key areas be focussed on:
a. Turnout at the 2012 Reunion. First and foremost, a good turnout of CFSA members at the 2012 Reunion was requested. To facilitate this, an accurate database of membership contact details will be enormously beneficial. Therefore all members are encouraged to contact Sqn Ldr Jim Gardiner (