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Club By-Laws

ARTICLE I - CLUB NAME


    The name of the club shall be the SARASOTA SILENT FLYERS, and under the acronym of SSF. The club shall be located in Sarasota or Manatee County FL. 
 

ARTICLE II - PURPOSE


    To bring together those persons interested in fostering a common interest in the building and flying of radio controlled electric airplanes, helicopters and gliders.  SSF is an all electric R/C flying club. 
 

ARTICLE III - MEMBERSHIP


    Membership in SSF is an honor and a privilege. Respect for each other is paramount and any disrespect will not be tolerated. Infractions of this Gentleman Code will be resolved by the Board and Officers.

    Any person desiring to become a Member of SSF shall submit a written application to the Treasurer or any current board member together with the current initiation fee and a minimum of the yearly dues then in effect. New members are to undergo a probationary period of 3 months with a Board appointed mentor. Upon successful completion of the probationary period, the probationary member will be a full member.

There are two classes of membership: open and youth.

    Open: Dues are $100.00 per year for open members. There is a one time initiation fee of $50.00. Members joining after October 1 will be given credit for the following year. There will be no prorated dues for the year. Any member who fails to renew his membership by March 1, of the current year, will be assessed a $25.00 late fee. Family memberships and youth membership fees will be established by the Board on a year to year basis. Initiation fee will apply to open memberships. 

    Youth: Youth membership is designed for children 18 and younger. If the youth is by him/herself, dues are $50 per year, non-prorated If the youth is a member and one or both his parents are members, the youth pays $10 per year (Family rate). Youth members are non-voting, and cannot be an officer of the club. There are no initiation fees for the youth member. 

    Any member in good standing may resign their membership at any time. There will be no initiation fee or late fee if they wish to rejoin at a latter time. However there will be no prorated dues for any year. There will be no refund of dues after resigning, but if they rejoin in the same year, no additional dues will be due.

    Open memberships are limited to 65 active members per year. If necessary, a wait list will be created and managed by the Secretary. Once an opening is created, the first name on the wait list will be contacted and offered the opportunity. If declined, the offer will progress to the next name on the list until accepted.

   Open and Youth Membership requires:
  1. Current Open or Youth AMA membership (not Park Pilot Program member)
  2. Agrees to abide by all the rules and regulations of AMA and SSF as they may from time to time be established. Any landowner restriction.
  3. Pay all fees. However, there will be up to - five honorary memberships without voting rights.
   Termination of a member in SSF may be accomplished in the following ways.
  1. Failure to renew AMA membership and/or pay SSF dues/fees.
    • Any member delinquent in paying next years dues by December 31 of the current year shall forfeit all rights and privileges of membership and will be dropped from the club in good standing until all dues and fees are paid.
  2. Improper conduct and/or failure to abide by the Rules of AMA/SSF. A majority vote of the Board is required for a member’s termination except for dues and fees.
    • A member may appear before the Board to plead their case before termination.
    • For a member to be reinstated, for other than dues and fees, a majority vote of the Board is required.
  3. The Club reserves the right to terminate any member for cause.

ARTICLE IV - OFFICERS


OFFICERS

    Elected Officers are: President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Safety Officer, and three directors. This body will be known as the SSF Board or Board of Directors.

TERM OF OFFICE

    Officers will be elected by secret ballots at the annual banquet or a yearly club meeting if no banquet is held. Only those present will be allowed to cast a vote. No proxies will be allowed. Newly elected Officers will begin their duties after the annual banquet and changes have been recorded with the AMA. Any Officer can be removed by a majority vote of the membership. A special club meeting would be held on a Saturday at the Club Field or a designated site. Those present would count as a majority. The Officers would call for this special meeting. At least a two week notice would be given prior to the meeting.

DUTIES

    President shall preside at meetings, VP shall preside in the absence of the President, Secretary/Treasurer handles funds and records minutes.  Directors give input and vote on club matters. Safety Officer oversees safety rules and appoints instructor pilots.

COMMITTEES

    Will be appointed by the President.
 

ARTICLE V - MEETINGS


    Board meetings will be held as deemed necessary by the President.  Club meetings will be announced as to date and time and will be held at the Flying Site or a designated location.  These meetings will also be held as deemed necessary by the President.  A show of hands will count as the majority at club meeting.  Conduct of the club meetings shall follow Roberts Rule of Order.
 

ARTICLE VI - FLYING SITES


    Will be approved by the membership and insured by AMA.   Any contract established by written document with a landowner will be adhered to.
 

ARTICLE VII - FLYING SITE REGULATIONS


    Each SSF member should be aware of the fact that the obtaining and keeping of the flying site is a prime purpose of this club.  All members are charged with following all AMA/SSF and Landowner Rules.  All members are charged with calling out unsafe practices, which do not follow safety and club rules. The Safety Officer shall enforce these Rules and Regulations.  All rules and regulations will be posted on the SSF website. Violations, which cannot be handled on the spot, should be brought to the attention of the Safety Officer.

    Club rules may be changed from time to time as deemed necessary by the Board of Directors. 
 

ARTICLE VIII - AMENDMENTS TO BY-LAWS


    Amendments to the By Laws, until the annual banquet of 2011, will be charged to the Board of Directors.  After this time a majority vote at a club meeting will be necessary to change any By Law. Amendments to the By-Laws may be submitted by any voting member and must be submitted in writing to the membership at large not less than five days prior to a club meeting.
 

ARTICLE IX - FINANCIAL


    The Treasurer shall make a report to the Board of expenditures at all Board and Club Meetings.  The President is approved for expenditures up to $300.00 without Board approval.
 

ARTICLE X- INSURANCE


    The Board of Directors shall maintain liability and property coverage as necessary.
 

ARTICLE XI - FREQUENCY USE


    Members requesting a 72 MHz frequency channel will be assigned one for their use until they are all assigned. Visitors wishing to fly on 72 MHz without an assigned channel should coordinate at the field to assure it is not in use. 2.4GHz users do not need frequency assignments. All radio equipment must meet FCC requirements.
 

SSF Field Rules

Field Rules:

  1. Members will make sure the gate off SR64 is closed once they pass.  The interior gate will be closed when the last person is leaving for the day.  Stay on advised track and avoid making ruts.
  2. No aircraft will be energized in the “cold pit.” Assembly only in this area.  The Ready Stand will be available for run ups and energized planes. 
  3. Trash, rubbish, and refuse will be disposed of in the trash can.  When the can is full, take the bag to the dumpster or home.  Use your best judgment.
  4. No alcohol may be served or consumed.
  5. Flying alone is allowed, however, SSF highly encourages flying with another member or at the very least, with a non-flyer present. A working cell phone must be in one’s possession when flying alone.  The address is 20600 S.R. 64 Bradenton FL 34212 or the west side of the Bradenton Motorsports Park.
  6. Pets must be on a leash.  Pick up after your pets.
  7. Children must be supervised by parents.
  8. No smoking in the canopy area or upwind of the canopy area.  No butts on the ground.
  9. ID Badges, when available, will be worn by all members.
  10. Visitors are welcome.
  11. Unless flying or spotting, everyone will remain behind a red line beginning at the canopies, and running east and west.
  12. Guest Pilots may fly a max of three times, except for fly ins.  Guest flyers will be sponsored by a flying member.
  13. The last member leaving is required to secure the facility and gates.
  14. There may be times when the field is closed for reason, and members must adhere to that rule.
  15. Parking will be directly behind the canopy on the fence line
  16. Aircraft will stay well clear of arriving automobile traffic.
  17. All aircraft will remain in the designated flying box. The box is defined as the south side north edge of the runway, half way between the fence and the row of pine trees to the east, the fence on the north, and half way between the fence and the blue building to the west. Under no condition should planes fly near or over the blue building to the west. 
    There will be NO FPV flying beyond the established flying box – UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. (Click here to view flying box)
  18. There will be no harassment/communication of any flying pilot, unless an immediate safety item arises.  Communication as to flying out of the box etc. will take place after the pilot lands.
  19. CRASHES/ INCIDENTS at the Flying Field: Crashes are a serious matter. Although not mandatory, the board encourages all crashes within the confines of the designated flying area be reported to the safety officer or IP so that they may assist the pilot and help pinpoint the cause of the incident.
    ALL crashes that take place OUTSIDE of the designated flying area MUST BE REPORTED to the Safety Officer, an IP or board member.
    If a crash outside of the designated flying area is NOT reported, the pilot/owner of the plane may have his membership terminated at the discretion of the board. Pilots who crash outside of the designated flying area will be grounded immediately until the safety officer investigates the crash and clears the pilot to return to active flying status. 
    FLYING WHILE GROUNDED IS CAUSE FOR IMMEDIATE DISMISSAL FROM THE CLUB.

General Flight Rules:

  1. There is a maximum of five pilot stations.  Pilots must occupy a station, to take-off, fly, and land.  Exceptions are during sponsored events such as “combat.” Spotters, when used, may occupy the flying station or stand adjacent.
  2. Helicopter pilots will use the west most stand when flying from the runway. Also, when completed, helicopter pilots will have a heli pad for use.
  3. Pilots must be in good standing with SSF.  Student pilots must be accompanied by an IP until solo.
  4. The runway is used for taking off and recovering models. Other use (aerobatics, hovering, show passes) will be secondary and not interfere with take offs and landings of other aircraft.
  5. All flying happens North of the runway (on the grass) unless specified or called.
  6. Planes with an emergency have landing priority.  Secondary priority is when planes are landing.  Aircraft in or above the runway must vacate immediately to either the pattern or the free flight zone.
  7. Pilots must call out their intentions prior to execution.  Examples are “Entering the runway, Taking Off, Landing, Hovering, Low Pass). 
  8. Pilots must clear the runway as soon as possible after landing.
  9. With more than one aircraft in the air a race track pattern will be flown, unless prior communication is established between flying pilots.

New Pilots:

  1. New pilots will be trained by an assigned IP.  When the IP deems the student is ready for solo, another IP or the Safety Officer will administer the solo as described in paragraph 4.
  2. Visitors
    • Visitors must show proof of AMA membership.
    • The visitor will be briefed on the local rules by an IP or sponsored member, and have his equipment examined for flight safety.
    • The visitor must demonstrate command of the model with a controlled take-off, ascent, entering the pattern, completing a controlled level figure “8” maneuver, and a descent to landing.  At that point the visitor has full landing rights for the day.
  3. Student pilots
    • Student pilots must show proof of AMA membership and be a member of SSF.
    • SSF trains student pilots with the use of a “buddy box”.  The Safety Officer will pair a student to an IP.
    • Generally, the student must furnish their own equipment.  The IP will inspect the equipment for flight safety.
    • Each student will progress at their own pace.
    • A record will be maintained at the field to record the student’s progress.
  4. Solo
  5. For the “solo” flight, the student will still be connected to the sign-off IP via buddy cord.  The student will demonstrate command of the model with a controlled take-off, ascent, entering the pattern, completing a controlled level figure “8” maneuver, and a descent to landing.  The student will perform the “solo” routine again within an hour, for a total of two demonstrations.
    • If the student passes the judgment of the IP that he can fly without a buddy cord, the IP will then notify the Safety Officer the student has passed solo.
    • Fledgling pilots should enlist the aid of an experienced pilot to aid as a spotter/coach until the Safety Officer deems this is no longer necessary.

Safety / Infractions


    SSF is dedicated to the enjoyment of radio control electric flight. All members are charged with ensuring that safe procedures are followed. We highly encourage “peer to peer” on the spot corrections to unsafe practices. Repeated or egregious infractions should be reported to the Safety Officer first, any Board member second, or an IP present.

    Infractions will be handled on a case by case basis. Corrective actions may include training or grounding. Grounding by the Safety Officer or an IP will be immediate. The member will be able to plead his case for resuming flying status when a quorum of the Board is available.
 

Damages

  1. Unless in a designated “combat” contest, pilots should avoid each other.  However, inadvertent collisions will occur.  Unless one party was making egregious attempts to hit the other, the “mid-air” shall be considered “no fault” and the parties resolve any outstanding issues amongst themselves.  The Safety Officer will be notified of all mid-airs and near-misses that result in a crash. 
  2. Any damages to the runway or the structures will be repaired by the member.  This includes prop strikes in the runway.  SSF will have repair material and instructions available.
 

Field Layout and Definitions