Contrail
What is Contrail?
Got something to say?
Do you have anything you think might be of interest to others in the RSA?
We are always on the lookout for recollections of events, people, the humourous side of working for CAA/NATS/HIAL, thoughts on future developments affecting aviation in the UK, etc.
If so then please contact me on contrailpete@caa-rsa.org.uk and we can work together on putting your thoughts into Contrail - its not as difficult as you might think, otherwise I wouldn’t be doing it, Ed.
Contrail 164 has “hit the streets”.
If you receive Contrail by post, then your copy will be “in the post” from 10 June 2025.
If you receive Contrail on-line then the email link, allowing you to download the edition, should be in your in-box. If it hasn’t appeared then please check your email spam/junk folder before contacting our Membership Secretary, Duncan Boulton, (membership@caa-rsa.org.uk) to do his magic.
Please do contact us if there are any problems with getting hold of your copy of Contrail 164 as it contains important information concerning the outcome of the AGM held on 25 April. This includes the timetable for moving to Contrail delivered wholly on-line, to save costs, and what you might need to to ensure you continue to receive Contrail. If, after all this lot, you are still confused then please email me contrailpete@caa-rsa.org.uk and I’ll point you in the right direction.
Receiving Contrail on-line requires us to maintain an accurate e-mail address list and, as email addresses tend to be changed occasionally, please don’t forget to let us know of any changes. Rest assured that this information will be stored securely and will not be passed to any other organisation.
Whenever we distribute Contrail via email, we receive a “bounce-back” if there is an invalid email address. But, thanks to everyone making sure that their email addresses are up to date, the latest email distributions resulted in only 1 bounce-back.
So, for all your efforts…….
Thank You!
"Contrail" is the Magazine of the CAA/NATS Retired Staff Association.
You can update the RSA regarding your Contrail delivery by using the form below.
Copies of the “All Members” Contrails, back to 2014, are now available to view, see below. These are redacted versions since this page is open access.
Copies of all editions of Contrail, back to 2007, are available in PDF format to RSA members on request, and we have limited access to paper copies going back to February 1984. In both cases, please contact the editor to request copies. contrailpete@caa-rsa.org.uk
Contrail 164 now available.
Delivering Contrail to you
We have been undertaking a review of Contrail delivery, based on the original forms supplied. The RSA is grateful for all of you that have already agreed to receive the magazine electronically.
From June 2026, Contrail will become electronic only. Please ensure we have your up to date email address. You can use this form to update us with your details. (if you already are receiving Contrail electronically to your correct email address- then you do not need to do anything)
Receiving Contrail by email helps us to reduce costs, improves content flexibility and enables you to receive the magazine quicker.
Electronic will become the default delivery method. If you cannot receive it by email, then we can arrange to send to a friend or relative for you, if you let us know.
If for some reason you still cannot accept an electronic copy then please also complete this form informing us. We will endeavour to send a printed version to you, however, from June 2026 it might not be in the same format.
Past editions of Contrail
Only redacted versions of “all members” editions are accessible here.
To receive all editions you need to subscribe.
External Links
No further editions of NATS Pulse have been produced. However you may wish to use the links below to follow what’s going on in NATS, the CAA and HIAL.
Reminders
The RSA use a third party organisation to carry out the e-mail distribution of Contrail in a similar way as we have, for years, used Creeds to distribute the hard copy version. One of the benefits of the electronic distribution is that the distributor sets a flag in their system when Contrail is downloaded by the recipient. This allows a reminder to be send after a short period of time to those who have not made the download.
A very small number of members (less than 0.4%) raised this reminder process as a nuisance or a misuse of their personal data. As a consequence the reminder process was discontinued pending an investigation.
The result of the investigation, by reference to the Data Protection Act 2018 and the UK General Data Protection Regulations updated to 2021, is as follows:
Purpose Test
The data, individual e-mail address, is provided by members to the RSA to facilitate communication between the RSA and the membership of both a general and a specific nature and to allow the distribution of Contrail either quarterly or yearly depending on the type of membership.
Necessity Test
The RSA needs to monitor the success in delivering Contrail to members.
Balancing Test
The monitoring of the downloaded status is entirely within the distributors system and does not involve any form of monitoring of individual e-mail addresses. The alternative would involve asking members to confirm delivery individually
It is therefore within Article 6(1)(f) Legitimate Interest.
However, The RSA acknowledges the right for members to object to the process.
Members may opt out of the Reminder Process by sending an e-mail instruction to membership@caa-rsa.org.uk
The RSA has a duty to remind the membership of the legal obligations to protect the personal data of members that is held in order to keep in touch. The data held is the minimum required to maintain the communication path.
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