Edition: Model Aviation - 2002/10
Page Numbers: 155, 156

THE FOLLOWING is by Jerry Tuttle, produced under the auspices of AMA CARES (Committee to Achieve Responsible Environmental Solutions). "Protecting your club's second most valuable resource: Your flying site may not be as secure as you think. Preserving and being prepared to replace your site should be high on your club's priority list! "Ask any club officer what his club's most valuable resource is and he should quickly reply that it is the club's membership: however, a very close second is the club's flying site. Have you ever seen what happens to a club when the flying site is lost? In just a few months, most of the membership just 'goes away.' "It happened to my club when we believed that we had a secure situation with no real danger of losing the flying field we'd had for more than 10 years. In our case, it was a change in the land's tax status that caused our landlord to cancel our lease arrangement. "Unless your club's flying field has some super-unique situation, your field probably has some possibility of being lost. Even owning your flying site is not absolutely safe. Consider what happens when nearby residential building begins and noise complaints occur. Most governing bodies for cities or counties will make decisions on the side of your neighbors because we are the ones with the 'unusual hobby.' "Knowing these facts in advance puts your club in a much better position to protect its flying site. For example, do any of your members ever fly in such a way so as to disturb neighbors? If so, someone should counsel them ASAP. At one club's site, a farmer was raising emus (that big, ugly bird!) about a quarter-mile away. "Unfortunately, some fliers seemed to enjoy 'buzzing' the emu pen to frighten the birds without thinking about the effect it could have on the club's community relations when the police were called. "On the other end of the spectrum, consider the community's view of your club when the newspaper or local television station does a story about your club hosting a flight day for the local Boys or Girls Club, Boy or Girl Scouts, or other civic group. Perhaps club members could cooperate with local schools to develop an activity based on aircraft modeling. This kind of publicity can go a long way in your club's favor when a decision is being made about the future of your flying site. "A thinking club will recognize in advance the vulnerabilities of the club's flying site and will be proactive to protect the arrangement that allows the club's use of the site. Do you think that this all sounds like a lot of extra trouble? If so, just consider the loss of your site and what you would have to do to find a new one. City, county, and even state and federal lands in parks or other reservations are often available. "The loss of existing flying sites is the greatest threat to our hobby because new flying sites are becoming so difficult to find. The 'creeping sprawl' of the suburbs has put most available land far from the city. As our society becomes increasingly litigious, landowners are much more reluctant to subject themselves to possible lawsuits. Environmental considerations and just plain engine noise can make the use of any site much more difficult to obtain. "If you try to obtain the use of public land, you can be nearly certain of being required to provide some form of environmental impact data that can become complicated and very expensive. Currently AMA is preparing information for chartered clubs to help guide them through the maze of federal regulations. "Finally, many governmental agencies that have in the past been model aviation's best friends are now constrained by budget pressures to cut back on recreational sites of all kinds. For example, the United States Army Corps of Engineers is in this situation. The nationwide flying sites they currently operate could gradually be lost if the situation doesn't change. "It would benefit all of us if we would write to our United States congressional representatives and senators to let them know that we don't want the budget for recreational facilities at federal parks cut. After all, your field could be next! It seems a shame to spend hundreds of millions of dollars or more to build a lake for water conservation or flood control and then not to provide the small investment necessary for the additional benefit of recreational use. "If your club does lose its field, finding a new one can be a long and tedious task. Here are some thoughts that might be useful to those who are looking. "First, get a good handle on your club's budget and how much money is available to obtain and create a new field. If you talk to private landowners you should be prepared to immediately make a firm offer and, if questioned, to explain the site owner's insurance that comes with your club's AMA charter. Are you aware that AMA flying site owner's insurance was recently improved? AMA Headquarters can provide information on the site owner's insurance policy that will greatly improve your chances of convincing a landowner of his protection. "Another source of available land is to contact your local railroads and utility companies. In their business each customarily buys land for future use that might make a marvelous flying site. In their own spirit of civic involvement, they might make a site available for no cost or a very nominal annual fee. Again, be prepared in advance to provide site owner's insurance information for their legal departments. If you arc fortunate enough to obtain the use of such a site, be sure your club provides complete credit to the company for the use of the land. Prominent signs should be posted to accomplish this. "Finally, public lands are a good place to look for flying sites. City, county, and even state and federal lands in parks or other reservations are often available. Consider closed military airfields or emergency landing fields that are no longer in use. United States Army Corps of Engineers lakes may have some floodplane land that you might obtain. The biggest advantage to these sites is that they will probably be available for years to come, although nothing is for sure. "Don't fail to seek help from your elected officials. These people should want to help you, particularly if your club has paid attention to good public relations polices in the past. Often state representatives, city council persons, or other elected representatives will have knowledge and connections that can prove invaluable in your search for a place to fly. A request by them can carry much more weight than that from a club. Use this fact to the club's advantage. Ask for a meeting. "Your club should have an organized presentation and a package to leave with them so that they know exactly what the club's needs are and what provisions for the use of the land are normally made. Your club needs to make friends at these levels and to support those officials that prove beneficial to your efforts. "When seeking to find a new flying site, the most important piece of knowledge is to know simply to not give up. That sounds easy and obvious but too often it's easy to become discouraged. You can never know around which 'corner' you will find success. The trick is to just keep more 'corners' coming. If one approach doesn't work, find another. Don't ever accept the first 'no' as final. Any good salesperson will tell you to somehow keep the conversation going while you try to understand the objections that you must overcome. Always look for another way."
Edition: Model Aviation - 2002/10
Page Numbers: 155, 156

THE FOLLOWING is by Jerry Tuttle, produced under the auspices of AMA CARES (Committee to Achieve Responsible Environmental Solutions). "Protecting your club's second most valuable resource: Your flying site may not be as secure as you think. Preserving and being prepared to replace your site should be high on your club's priority list! "Ask any club officer what his club's most valuable resource is and he should quickly reply that it is the club's membership: however, a very close second is the club's flying site. Have you ever seen what happens to a club when the flying site is lost? In just a few months, most of the membership just 'goes away.' "It happened to my club when we believed that we had a secure situation with no real danger of losing the flying field we'd had for more than 10 years. In our case, it was a change in the land's tax status that caused our landlord to cancel our lease arrangement. "Unless your club's flying field has some super-unique situation, your field probably has some possibility of being lost. Even owning your flying site is not absolutely safe. Consider what happens when nearby residential building begins and noise complaints occur. Most governing bodies for cities or counties will make decisions on the side of your neighbors because we are the ones with the 'unusual hobby.' "Knowing these facts in advance puts your club in a much better position to protect its flying site. For example, do any of your members ever fly in such a way so as to disturb neighbors? If so, someone should counsel them ASAP. At one club's site, a farmer was raising emus (that big, ugly bird!) about a quarter-mile away. "Unfortunately, some fliers seemed to enjoy 'buzzing' the emu pen to frighten the birds without thinking about the effect it could have on the club's community relations when the police were called. "On the other end of the spectrum, consider the community's view of your club when the newspaper or local television station does a story about your club hosting a flight day for the local Boys or Girls Club, Boy or Girl Scouts, or other civic group. Perhaps club members could cooperate with local schools to develop an activity based on aircraft modeling. This kind of publicity can go a long way in your club's favor when a decision is being made about the future of your flying site. "A thinking club will recognize in advance the vulnerabilities of the club's flying site and will be proactive to protect the arrangement that allows the club's use of the site. Do you think that this all sounds like a lot of extra trouble? If so, just consider the loss of your site and what you would have to do to find a new one. City, county, and even state and federal lands in parks or other reservations are often available. "The loss of existing flying sites is the greatest threat to our hobby because new flying sites are becoming so difficult to find. The 'creeping sprawl' of the suburbs has put most available land far from the city. As our society becomes increasingly litigious, landowners are much more reluctant to subject themselves to possible lawsuits. Environmental considerations and just plain engine noise can make the use of any site much more difficult to obtain. "If you try to obtain the use of public land, you can be nearly certain of being required to provide some form of environmental impact data that can become complicated and very expensive. Currently AMA is preparing information for chartered clubs to help guide them through the maze of federal regulations. "Finally, many governmental agencies that have in the past been model aviation's best friends are now constrained by budget pressures to cut back on recreational sites of all kinds. For example, the United States Army Corps of Engineers is in this situation. The nationwide flying sites they currently operate could gradually be lost if the situation doesn't change. "It would benefit all of us if we would write to our United States congressional representatives and senators to let them know that we don't want the budget for recreational facilities at federal parks cut. After all, your field could be next! It seems a shame to spend hundreds of millions of dollars or more to build a lake for water conservation or flood control and then not to provide the small investment necessary for the additional benefit of recreational use. "If your club does lose its field, finding a new one can be a long and tedious task. Here are some thoughts that might be useful to those who are looking. "First, get a good handle on your club's budget and how much money is available to obtain and create a new field. If you talk to private landowners you should be prepared to immediately make a firm offer and, if questioned, to explain the site owner's insurance that comes with your club's AMA charter. Are you aware that AMA flying site owner's insurance was recently improved? AMA Headquarters can provide information on the site owner's insurance policy that will greatly improve your chances of convincing a landowner of his protection. "Another source of available land is to contact your local railroads and utility companies. In their business each customarily buys land for future use that might make a marvelous flying site. In their own spirit of civic involvement, they might make a site available for no cost or a very nominal annual fee. Again, be prepared in advance to provide site owner's insurance information for their legal departments. If you arc fortunate enough to obtain the use of such a site, be sure your club provides complete credit to the company for the use of the land. Prominent signs should be posted to accomplish this. "Finally, public lands are a good place to look for flying sites. City, county, and even state and federal lands in parks or other reservations are often available. Consider closed military airfields or emergency landing fields that are no longer in use. United States Army Corps of Engineers lakes may have some floodplane land that you might obtain. The biggest advantage to these sites is that they will probably be available for years to come, although nothing is for sure. "Don't fail to seek help from your elected officials. These people should want to help you, particularly if your club has paid attention to good public relations polices in the past. Often state representatives, city council persons, or other elected representatives will have knowledge and connections that can prove invaluable in your search for a place to fly. A request by them can carry much more weight than that from a club. Use this fact to the club's advantage. Ask for a meeting. "Your club should have an organized presentation and a package to leave with them so that they know exactly what the club's needs are and what provisions for the use of the land are normally made. Your club needs to make friends at these levels and to support those officials that prove beneficial to your efforts. "When seeking to find a new flying site, the most important piece of knowledge is to know simply to not give up. That sounds easy and obvious but too often it's easy to become discouraged. You can never know around which 'corner' you will find success. The trick is to just keep more 'corners' coming. If one approach doesn't work, find another. Don't ever accept the first 'no' as final. Any good salesperson will tell you to somehow keep the conversation going while you try to understand the objections that you must overcome. Always look for another way."