Flying Site Assistance - 2010/11

November 2010 161
HELLO AGAIN, everyone.
Here in the Southeast, the second half of
the flying season is in full swing. As we get
past the scorching hot days of summer, fall
brings renewed interest in flying. The
cooler temperatures make a trip to the
flying site much more enjoyable.
I hope you are enjoying your flying
field this fall!
For some clubs, this fall brings
uncertainty. Some are under the threat of
losing their sites and others are already
seeking new facilities. If your club is
facing this problem, please contact me. I
would like to see what AMA can do to
help.
We have been able to assist several
clubs retain flying sites this year. I have
many ongoing cases where I am working
with clubs. Give me a call or send me an email
if your club needs help.
Virtually all model flying sites fall
within three categories:
1) Club-owned property
2) Private-leased property
3) Government/business-leased
property
Clubs that own their sites, but find
themselves being forced to move, can
expect to sell the property for a profit and
purchase another. Although the new site
might be farther away and less convenient
for the majority of the members, they at
least have some measure of control over
their situation and have more options
available.
Leased sites are the most common type
for AMA model clubs. A good example of
privately owned, leased property would be
farm property. There are many great model
sites on agricultural land.
The advantage is that the site is rural
and sound is usually not an issue. The club
only needs a small amount of land—three
or four acres—to create a runway, pit, and
parking areas. The rest of the farmland is
over-fly area. The runway is usually grass,
so the farmer can reclaim it if necessary. If
the owner decides to terminate the lease,
the club may lose some of the
improvements it has made, but most can be
moved to another site in the future.
Government- and business-owned,
leased sites have a few advantages over
farmland. Usually clubs are not as limited
to the number of improvements that can be
made. Many sites have longer-term leases
and clubs feel better about spending money
to improve the site. Hard-surfaced runways
and more permanent shade structures are
the norm.
All three of these scenarios have pros
and cons. Not even the club-owned sites
have a guarantee that they will always be
there.
What can you do to feel more secure in
your situation and set yourself up so that
the community and county will be
interested in your survival should the loss
of your flying site become imminent?
As I stated in last month’s column, one
of the new focuses that the AMA Executive
Council has placed on the Flying Site
Assistance program is to be more proactive
in helping clubs to keep the sites that they
have.
One way to help retain a flying site is
through the AMA Leader Club Program.
This recognizes clubs for their
accomplishments in working to improve
facilities for its membership.
Another vital part of the program is
focused on improving the club’s stature
within the community. There are three
levels of AMA Leader Clubs: Bronze,
Silver, and Gold. Once a club meets the
minimum criteria, it can achieve one of the
three levels based on the number of
electives it accomplishes.
Bronze-level clubs must meet all basic
requirements plus three electives. Silverlevel
clubs must meet all basic
requirements and six electives. Gold-level
clubs must meet all of the basic
requirements and all nine electives.
Several electives are directly tied to the
club’s outreach and education of its
communities. As a club becomes active in
its community, the community tends to see
it as an asset, not a liability!
Elective #2 reads: “The club has
implemented an AMA Adopt-A-School
program or donates a Model Aviation
magazine subscription to schools or
libraries.”
Clubs that are involved with children
via school programs can create a great
relationship with the school and school
board. This can pay unimaginable
dividends in the future. When you have
support such as this, club members can feel
much more secure about their future and
their ability to keep their flying site.
Elective #4 states: “The club sponsors
an annual public event, such as a mall
show, flying show, or demonstration.”
These types of events make the public
aware of the club and what the members
do. Often events such as this receive
television, radio, or newspaper publicity.
This can go a long way to increase
membership and provide a positive picture
of modeling to the public.
Another great elective is #7. It reads:
“The club participates in charity programs
or public fund-raising events.”
Nearly every club with which I am in
contact participates in some kind of charity
fund-raiser during the year. These events
are great fun for the membership, help raise
awareness of a worthy cause, and really
plug in with the community. The news
media loves this stuff! It is easy to get
coverage for events such as this and the
local officials will take notice, especially if
you invite them to attend the event!
Again, this shows everyone that
modelers are not “users” who want
everything given to them. I have always
found modelers to be generous, especially
when it comes to charity programs. Many
clubs have donated huge amounts of toys
and cash during events such as the Marine
Corps Toys for Tots annual Christmas
drive.
I hope you can see how important
community involvement can be to a club. It
paves the way for support from those who
can provide it. If your club is not active in
these areas, discuss it at a club meeting and
see what happens.
Right now, you might feel pretty good
about your flying site situation. That’s
great, but can it change? You bet! Are there
threats out there to your club? You know it.
Discuss with your fellow members how
your club can be more proactive in
protecting your flying site. If you haven’t
thought about the AMA Leader Club
Awards program, look into it. Your club
may already be well on the way to Gold
Leader Club status!
You can find more information about
the Leader Club Program by calling (800)
435-9262 or visiting the AMA Web site at
www.modelaircraft.org. There you can find
the details and download a document by
clicking on the “AMA Documents” section
of the Web site.
You can do it!
Flying Site Assistance Tony Stillman | [email protected]
Tony Stillman
Flying Site
Assistance
Coordinator
102 Cherrywood Ct., Brunswick GA 31525
(912) 242-2407; [email protected]