Work to create an environment that protects your flying site and privilege to fly there.
As I write this column, it is early October. There is a hint of fall in the air, and the temperature is going to be wonderful for spending afternoons at the flying field! I hope you can enjoy these mild temperatures before Old Man Winter starts blowing.
For many, the fall means it is time to order that new kit and get the building season started. I have a project on my bench as well!
Last month I discussed being proactive in working to keep your flying site. If you remember, I wrote about one of AMA’s club programs: the Leader Club awards. I hope you took some time to visit the AMA website and gather more information. This is a great project that all of our clubs should embrace! I hope your club will.
Leased property — put yourself in the owner’s shoes
I also wrote a little about the types of flying sites most clubs enjoy. If your club is leasing property from a private individual or company, is your club actively working to ensure that it will be able to continue leasing in the future? What can you do?
You need to put yourself in the property owner’s shoes and look at things from his or her perspective. What would make you want to lease property to people to fly model airplanes?
In some cases, the owner has a love of aircraft and enjoys your presence. This can often be true with clubs that are flying on small, privately owned airports or crop duster sites. These are usually located in rural areas and can be great venues for model fliers, especially RC fliers.
Spend time with the site owners so they can see what you do and interact with them. Let them enjoy your airplanes. This can sometimes achieve lifelong relationships that will ensure that club members have a place to fly for many years.
Ways to build goodwill with landowners
- Host a field party for your site owner.
- Give a small, thoughtful gift or weekend getaway as a gesture of thanks. (I know of a club that gave the landowners a weekend in a nearby tourist area—two nights in a nice hotel and a dinner gift card—about $300 total. The landowners now look forward to it annually.)
- Spend time with the owners so they feel connected to the club.
What if your landowner is a business? There are things the club could do for it as well:
- Assist the company with a fundraiser for its favorite charity or special project.
- Partner with the landowner on a community goal or project.
- Offer to cut grass or clean up the business’s parking lot once a month.
The bottom line is that money is not the important thing here — it is relationships. Down south we have a saying: “If momma ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy!” Sure, you are paying for use of the property. That is fine. What you want is more than property; it is a relationship. Put yourself in the landowner’s shoes and give it serious thought. What you come up with might be worth more than the money you pay for the use of the site.
If the site owner is government
What could you do if your site owner is the U.S. government or a local or state government? Again, think from the officials’ perspective. They receive many requests. What is it they want?
For many, it is to be re-elected. For some, they want to improve their community and bring economic improvement into the area. Show them that your club is fulfilling those goals.
- Host events that bring in modelers who spend money at gas stations, restaurants, and hotels.
- Invite county commissioners or other officials to a local event or club meeting and have them present an award.
- Get involved with local kids in community programs and schools, and make sure the news media knows about it to gain publicity.
- Participate in county-hosted special events.
Many clubs offer demonstration booths at county fairs and parades. Show people that your club is a positive asset to the community. Think creatively to put a positive light on your club in front of the local officials who make the decisions to allow you to be there.
Engage neighbors and build community support
When was the last time your club contacted its neighbors and invited them to a club picnic at the field? Some may not attend, but those who do should be given the “royal treatment” so that when they go home and talk about it, other neighbors will want to come next time.
I know of a club that has done this every year and it attracts new club members as a result. That is really a win-win situation.
Some clubs give free memberships to neighbors and their kids. Members provide flying lessons and sometimes help kids build and become modelers themselves. If the neighbors get involved with you in a sport you both enjoy, they will be much more interested in your club staying around.
Why this matters
If you start now, working to build relationships, you protect yourself from receiving a letter notifying you that your lease has been terminated for no apparent reason. If you are an asset, landowners or officials will most likely try to protect your right to fly, or at least work to find a suitable replacement flying site for the club.
It is easy to sit around and not be involved. That is one of the many reasons we lose flying sites and good AMA members.
Work to create an environment that protects your flying site and privilege to fly there. Be good neighbors and good tenants. Show them you care about your relationships with them and the community.
Your flying site is asking, “What have you done for me lately?”
You can do it! — TS
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
