The Jefco Aeromod'lers
Background
Jefco Aeromod'lers, founded in 1959, is a large chartered AMA club located in the Denver area. With more than 250 members, the club has enjoyed flying in Chatfield State Park, in the southwest corner of the Denver area.
Beginning in 1978, with an agreement to share the cost of putting in a blacktop runway, club and park officials worked together—initially without any formal contract—to make this an outstanding flying field and to promote safe flying at the facility.
Growth and challenges
As the club grew and the flying field was expanded and improved, more fliers came to the Jefco field. Most fliers learned the club's safety rules, complied, and were not a problem. Many joined the club and continue to fly at the field; however, one or two individuals occasionally caused problems. Some asserted they could fly any way they wanted because they were on state park land. Jefco had no enforcement authority but could call park rangers if someone was creating a safety issue.
Negotiating a formal agreement
About three years before 2012, the Jefco Board of Directors asked the club’s Long Range Planning Committee to explore creating a formal agreement with park officials. The goal was to place the club in charge of the flying field and require that fliers at the field be AMA members. What initially appeared simple proved more complex because of the number of stakeholders and the approval process required.
For years, park officials had provided many services that club members and the public had taken for granted. These responsibilities and contributions were documented and became part of the negotiation:
- Park responsibilities: maintain toilets, maintain roads and the parking area, empty trash, and maintain the shelter.
- Club responsibilities: mow the grass, maintain the runways (including a $65,000 repaving in 2010), police the area, and perform other tasks needed to keep the field safe and enjoyable.
Many visitors were unaware that the club paid for and, through donated labor, maintained the flying facility even though it is located in a state park.
After several meetings, both parties agreed to put these responsibilities in writing and to include the requirement that fliers be AMA members. Park officials recognized that AMA membership provides additional liability insurance. They also flagged legitimate concerns about nonmember visitors who might want to learn to fly—such as a new hobbyist or a child accompanied by a parent.
Park officials drafted the agreement and worked with the club through the negotiation process. The agreement then proceeded up the approval chain within the state park system. The agreement between Jefco and the State of Colorado, Department of Natural Resources, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, and Chatfield State Park was signed on March 12, 2012.
Terms and implementation
The one-year agreement took effect on July 1, 2012, with an option for a 10-year renewal. Both parties agreed to review and amend parts of the contract that were not working at the end of the year before exercising the 10-year renewal option.
New signs at the field inform the public and members that AMA membership is now required, and that proof of membership or a visitor's pass must be displayed by all RC fliers.
Result
Many clubs fly on public land; some have formal agreements or leases, while others do not. Jefco now has a written agreement that the club believes will improve its working relationship with its landlord (the park) and provide the public and club members a safer and more enjoyable place to fly.
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
