Flying Site Assistance
Tony Stillman | www.modelaircraft.org/membership/clubs/fsap.aspx
Hi, everyone! As I write this, it is early July and the heat is on. Lots of hot weather and lots of good flying — I hope you are enjoying it.
As I speak with AMA members across the United States, I learn a lot. Many have shared stories about specific club situations that help me learn things that can help other clubs. It is amazing how much we can learn and profit from each other if we are willing to listen.
Background
While helping an AMA club, I learned how important it is to be a good steward of the land and support your landowner. The case I am referring to is still ongoing and hopefully we can help the club retain its flying site.
The club contacted me with a question about AMA’s insurance coverage and how it protects the site owner. Specifically, they asked about the Flying Site Owner’s Insurance available to all AMA clubs for purchase. This insurance is a major reason many of our clubs are able to obtain flying sites.
- The policy provides primary insurance coverage for the site owner in the amount of $2.5 million.
- The site owner has coverage for issues that might result from flight operations on his/her property.
- More information is in the AMA Club Charter kit (PDF) in the AMA Documents section at www.modelaircraft.org.
What happened
The club had installed some fencing on its flying site for safety reasons. Although this is a good thing, the club obtained verbal approval but did not get prior written approval from the owner. In this case, the owner was the city and the flying site was on a landfill that had been capped by direction of the EPA.
The cap is a plastic membrane that keeps rainwater from penetrating the soil beneath it. The membrane protects environmental pollutants from seeping out and possibly polluting the groundwater. To function properly, the cap must be protected from any punctures. The membrane is approximately 24 inches under the site’s topsoil.
When the city found out about the fencing, it required the club to remove it immediately and inspected the site to determine if the cap was damaged. Luckily, it was not damaged.
The problem
After that inspection, the city asked the club to provide pollution insurance so the city would be protected if the club punctured the cap and caused a leak. AMA’s insurance does not cover pollution. After discussing this with our insurance company, it became clear no typical policy would cover pollution without specialized coverage. That coverage could be purchased, but the cost would be in the $25,000-per-year range (minimum).
So what is a club of 30 members to do? By not taking the terms of their site usage seriously, the club may end up losing a great flying field. I am going to help them as much as possible, but the breach of trust between the club and the city may be more than we can overcome.
Key takeaways
- Know your situation with your site owner.
- Do not make changes to the flying field without getting written approval first.
- Be a good steward of your flying field and act in ways that make the site owner feel secure with your club.
In this situation, the club didn’t puncture the cap, but their actions brought their judgment into question with the site owner — not a good place to be.
Till next time.
Tony Stillman Flying Site Assistance Coordinator 102 Cherrywood Ct., Brunswick, GA 31525 (912) 242-2407 [email protected]
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
