Thank you. First, I would like to wish a very warm welcome members here this evening – even though we have a small turn out it is great that we are finally able to welcome you back in person. Over the past 12 months the ongoing impact of Covid and associated logistical difficulties has continued to prevent us from hosting physical events. On behalf of the Hong Branch I apologise for the limitations this has placed on our events programme again this year and thank our members for their understanding during these difficult times.
I would like to start by taking this opportunity to say thank you to our committee for their ongoing contribution. Our Committee members have generously volunteered their time and their energy to provide support and guidance to the society and our members. I would like to say special thank yous to Dr Eric Wong, Mr Mark Hayman, Mr Ken Kwan, Mr Tommy Au Yeung and Mr KS Fung who are all stepping down this year after many years of service to the Society. Their dedication and support is highly appreciated.
Events summary
First, I would like to express my appreciation to members for your support over the past year. After the difficult years of the pandemic limited our ability to host physical event it has been a great pleasure over the course of recent months to once again be able to engage and interact with our membership and to showcase some of Hong Kong’s excellent aviation industry organizations.
I would also like to take the opportunity to thank the members of our committee for their ongoing support for the RAeS Hong Kong branch. Our Committee members have generously volunteered their time and their energy to provide support and guidance to the society and our members. I would like to say special thank yous to Joe Cua, Jimmy Tang and Martin Hall who are stepping down this year after many years of service to the Society. Their contribution and dedication is highly appreciated.
Events summary
Since the last AGM in October 2022 we have been able to rebuild our lecture programme and Society activities.
The return of the JK Swire Annual Dinner and Lecture in November 2022 was warmly welcomed back by our members with the event being sold out. Those attending had the privilege of hearing the inspiring personal story of Kevin Arblaster titled “I can’t fasten buttons, but I can fly an airplane”.
Our lecture programme for 2023 opened in early March when Chris Perry from Boeing shared a fascinating session, filled with many illustrative examples of how an aircraft manufacturer supports a fleet of more than 10,000 aircraft around the globe on a 24/7, 365 day basis.
A key priority for the society as part of our events programme is to, once again be able to provide access to our membership of some of the great aerospace facilities in Hong Kong. In April members were able to tour the HAESL Engine and Component Maintenance and Repair facility and experience first-hand this world leading operation.
In May, we had Jay Nair sharing his experience and background and showcasing the science, engineering and challenges of constructing Hong Kong Airport’s third runway – a project he characterized as almost the equivalent of having to build a new airport alongside.
In June we were able to showcase a second Hong Kong facility with members enjoying a site visit to HAECO facilities and hangars at Chep Lak Kok.
In August we welcomed David Edwards, the Chief Executive of the Royal Aeronautical Society to Hong Kong. During his trip he was able to visit HAESL, HAECO and Cathay Pacific. David also joined members of the committee for an enjoyable lunch where he provided an update on the work and priorities of the Society and answered questions across a broad range of topics.
And today in conjunction with our AGM, thanks to our kind hosts, the Hong Kong Civil Aviation Department, we have another wonderful opportunity to experience a key element of Hong Kong’s aviation infrastructure - the Air Traffic Control simulators.
I will conclude with a short recap for members of our purpose here in Hong Kong. The Society, its lecture programme and its facility visits provides a great opportunity to promote and advance aviation in Hong Kong and around the world - raising awareness, helping people understand how the industry works and the many opportunities it offers. The Society provides the chance to share knowledge and experience amongst our membership, encourage the highest professional standards and provide a forum for people in our industry to talk about the work they do, the things they are passionate about and explain why it means so much to them.
The aviation industry been hit hard in recent years but it is now rebuilding. It has a bright and exciting future and continues to offer a range of fantastic opportunities for people in Hong Kong.
Membership Report
Since the last report our membership has increased by 3% to 220 members – comprising 181 full members and 39 student members.
We have seen a healthy number of renewals this year, demonstrating a sustained level of interest amongst our existing members.
During the period from the last AGM we have been delighted to welcome 18 new members to the branch from across Hong Kong’s aviation industry.
We have however noted a decline in our student member category and this is an area that my committee and I plan to address in the coming months.
We will target to continue to steadily increase the membership of the Society over the next 12 months to ensure we have a vibrant, diverse and thriving community. We recognize that our ability to attract and retain members will be heavily predicated on the value they place being a member and in turn on us delivering an interesting and educational range of lectures and events for them. We are determined to do so and please keep an eye out for the new events being advertised. We are planning to organize at least two more lecture event before the end of the year. In addition we will be holding our annual dinner again this year on November 10th - this has always been a very enjoyable event and I hope you will be able to join us there.
In closing I would like to thank you all again for your support this year. It is great that we have been able to enjoy a much busier 2023 and we look forward to continuing to interact, engage, inform and entertain our membership over the remainder of the year.
Unfortunately, there were no young-member dedicated events were held this year. It was planned to have Aviation Quiz in February this year, but it was cancelled due to low response rate.
We hope to bring back Design Build & Fly and Aviation Quiz in September and December, respectively this year.
I am stepping down as Young-Member chairperson this year and will facilitate the new YM-chairperson to run the events.
I wish we could regain young members with the lead of the new YM chairperson.