Page 9 - MFW June 2025

What are the benefits of

Membership ?

Each year we pay our club fees and Visual Line Of Sight (BVLOS), within 4km of an
perhaps question what is the value of the uncontrolled aerodrome and above 400ft.
$105 that we pay to Model Flying NZ and ● MFNZ members are viewed favourably by CAA
due to the level of control MFNZ has to ensure safe
where does it go? operations.
● The Fliers World Magazine
This article aims to outline the work of MFNZ, its costs ● Competition flying both in NZ and Internationally.
and the benefits of belonging to the larger model flying
community in New Zealand. About 25% of our members regularly compete in
NDC, Nationals or internationally. The skills those
modellers learn and bring home benefit those
MFNZ is our national body that we as club members elect
to conduct business on behalf of all our clubs – from the around them.
biggest to the smallest, from those flying on or near ● Health and Safety and education on best practices
aerodromes to those flying in remote farm fields. to avoid injury and insurance claims

Together our numbers make a significant portion of the ● Promoting our hobby and sport to the public at
NZ aviation community. This enables us to be heard at events, airshows and via our website.
aviation forums and with CAA and other government ● Supporting the Special interest Groups within
departments. MFNZ that support and promote specific areas of
our hobby.
Some of the benefits we enjoy as individual members; ● Free membership for under 25’s has encouraged
150 to join recently.
● Insurance for our model flying all over New
Zealand. Claims are made each year for damage Some members and clubs have low needs for support,
to cars and recently a full size aircraft on the insurance claims, or don’t fly in competitions, but we all
ground. Our insurance policy also stands as a benefit from collective representation on issues such as;
guarantee to land owners who grant clubs access
to their land. Negotiations of policy conditions and ● MFNZ make representation to CAA on behalf of
cost are on-going – for example current ALL model flyers to have the best possible and
negotiations to find a new lower cost insurer. least restrictive outcome. While we all would like to
● The Wings program provides a qualification to fly in the unrestricted world we remember from our
enable you to fly alone, unsupervised at most clubs youth, the reality of today is that the rules around
and also provides a recognised qualification to fly aviation are getting tougher, the MFNZ committee
within 4km of on an aerodrome. works hard to ensure those rules are reasonable
● The ability to fly at other clubs, events and other and also to educate our members how to comply
flying sites negotiated and approved by CAA and with as little burden as possible.
Councils. MFNZ maintains a database of o MFNZ is certificated under CAA rule Part 102.
approved flying sites. This allows all our members to fly large models,
● Support for clubs with large purchases such as new operate above 400ft, conduct unshielded night
mowers, sheds and other site assets, repairs after flying, and perform Beyond Visual Line of Sight
natural disasters. shielded operations. By flying under the MFNZ
Part 102 certification, members avoid the need
● Ability to fly outside of some 101 rules like over
15kg, at night unshielded, 1km range Beyond to apply for individual 102 approvals with the
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