Anyone know when and where the inaugural meeting is to be?
Here's a copy of an email I received from NAGA with the details you are looking for.
Something well worth supporting in my opinion.
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This is a general e-mail to all who have expressed an interest in this
project, or who are working to make it a success. Please copy the
message to as many people as you think will be interested.
1. The interim NAGA website will be functional for basic communications
and document downloads no later than September 1st - at the following
web address: http://www.nagaireland.com/ .
2. The inaugural NAGA meeting will be held in Kilkenny (Hotel Kilkenny)
on Saturday September 17th from 13:30. Free buffet lunch from 12:30.
Relevant information has been posted on the NAGA website and will be
available no later than September 1st.
3. The National Aero Club of Ireland has arranged for a complimentary
copy of “Pooley’s Guide Ireland 2005” to be made available to those who
are among the first to join the new organisation. In excess of 60
copies will be available, with first preference being given to those who
attend the Kilkenny meeting.
4. If you plan to attend please let us know by sending an e-mail
message to
[email protected] <mailto:
[email protected]>. It would be very
helpful if you could put “NAGA attendance” in the subject line of your
e-mail.
5. We were delighted and encouraged by the positive Editorial comment
in the September issue of FlyingInIreland, the contents of which have
been appended below. We are also pleased by the number of people who
seem to want this project to succeed. On the other hand, there remain
quite a few who have not heard about our efforts - so please do your bit
to spread the word: "NAGA - Working to make Ireland the most liberal
European environment for General Aviation".
***********
Editorial Comment from “FlyingInIreland”, September 2005 Issue:
The National Association for General Aviation
In issue 3 of "Flying In Ireland" I made a comment about the poor state
of GA representation in this country. I went on to highlight the efforts
of the National Aero Club of Ireland (NACI) to put this condition to
rights. Since that time significant effort has been invested at the
grass roots level to create an organisation that is representative of
General Aviation, and to protect and develop the interests of the GA
community in Ireland. Contained in this issue are full details of the
official launch of the, provisionally titled, National Association for
General Aviation. Be sure to mark September 17th in your diaries and
make your best efforts to be in Kilkenny and support this very worthy
initiative.
The spur for the NACI to take on the mantle of GA representation is the
apparent demise of AOPA Ireland. Early in the year I made contact with a
representative from the organisation. When we met we discussed the role,
membership and activities of the organisation. I put the magazine
forward as a platform the organisation could use, in addition to their
own communications network, to advertise its activities to the wider GA
community. The offer was never taken up, nor was there clarity on the
subjects discussed. Before and since that meeting a number of queries
have been posted on the "Flying In Ireland" forum questioning the
existence and/or function of AOPA Ireland. The mere fact these questions
are asked, and not answered, indicates all may not be well with AOPA
Ireland. In the meantime GA is burdened with petty politics, rivalries,
significant bureaucracy, and inconsistencies. There's a potential
avalanche of regulation coming our way, courtesy of EASA. If GA in
Ireland does not present a unified voice to contribute to the aviation
regulation discussions we run the risk of being regulated out of
existence. Now is the time to put aside localized self-interest and work
together to define an acceptable framework for the future.
*********