Need info to get a club going
 

A few of us are trying to get a dedicated airfield going. We found some land, that was actually an old field from many years back, it's on an old landfill. It is run down and over grown and needs a lot of work, that were willing to do. I am going to be setting up a meeting with the land developement officer to approach him to get it back up and running. But before I do, do any of you have some suggestions on what to bring into this meeting to be fully prepared. I have ran off a copy of MAAC safety rules to show layout and operational manners that it will be ran. It does have an industrial lot adjacent to it, but in discussion with the owner he seems to be in favor of it. Any help you guys could offer would be greatly appeciated, because if you hit the politcians halfed arshed, you might not get the second meeting.

thanks

flynte

RE: Need info to get a club going
 

In todays world liabilty is the big one. Make sure you have a copy of insurance policy. This is also on the web site. Take the time to understand how it works. Call the MAAC insurance chair if you have questions. If you are in a area that has already had discussions in local council about rc in parks etc.
You should be prepared for questions like. Does your insurance cover all flyers that wander in.
If not,Why not? How are you going to keep Non insured fliers from flying? Fence, signs or both.
Do your planes crash? Do they start fires when they crash? How safe are these things?How big?How Fast? If it crashes will all the fuel spill out? What is the fuel you use?
Make a drawing of the field set up you are planning with parking, pits, flight line and area you will fly over and attach this to a copy of the safety rules as well as a copy of the field requirements laid out in the MAAC DOC,s. Have a couple extra copies already put together to pass onto the folks your dealing with. Put this together with a cover letter stateing what you are asking.
ex We as rock hills rc club are seeking permision to use old dump located at 22 rd 1 for the use of flying rc aircraft. Our Insurance, Saftey Program, Site Layout etc. can be found in the following pages.
Keep everything short and to the point.
Getting this into the hands of the people who are going to decide whether you can use the land a few days before your meeting allows them to ask there questions at your meeting face to face as opposed to a couple days later after the meeting via phone or email which can lead to misunderstandings.
Leave your emotions at home and answer all the silly questions from non rciers directly and to the point without any remarks about how silly they are.
The point here is to show that as a group you are responsible and saftey minded folks and that youre first day of flying is not going to include trying to do touch and go,s off the cars in the parking lot next door.
Being professional and responsible with all the facts will get you the Yes you can you are looking for the majority of the time.

Brian

RE: Need info to get a club going
 

I'd say that Brian has covered all of the major points very well.

Other things that come up include noise, how close you are to housing, roads & industry - chances of loosing an AC etc.

Also look out for sources of radio interferance, if you are beside a large radio tower you could be in trouble.

Lots of little things, try talking to some of the locals FIRST. See if they have any concerns that you can solve BEFORE you get to a council meeting. Rumours can start up easily. [&o]

Perhaps you could get a video of a local event to show them just what you are talking about... :D

Be ready for anything and everything.

Good Luck!

RE: Need info to get a club going
 

Explain to them how it will benefit their community. Mention the training wings program. Show that you are structured and responsile modellers not a bunch of renegates. Mention that this is a family hobby/sport that can span three generations.

Get the councilors on a budy box and give them a chance at the sticks. You may end up with a few more well connected recruits.;)

RE: Need info to get a club going
 

All of the preceding comments are valid. Our club has just gone through this process. The local County Council had little interest in Insurance, fires and flyaways. We did not mention them, why scare them.

The big issue with us was Zoning. What is the land zoned for now? Can you get permanent rezoning for say recreational use? Or will you have to settle for temporary rezoning. In our case we could get temporary rezoning for just two three year periods. That means we will have to apply twice. So far the first application cost $1400.00. Again in our case after the two temporary rezoning periods expire we can no longer use the property.

There were a lot of other twists and turns in our case but the above is basically how it works in our area.

Ed S

RE: Need info to get a club going
 

Congratulations on trying to get another club off and going!

Since you've already gone to the MAAC ebsite, my recommendation is to get in touch with your Zone Director Walter Chikmoroff http://www.maac.ca/zones/maac_zone.php?zn=1

You can then bring the resources of MAAC to your assistance and use the knowledge gained by other clubs. Also, if you have to go to local council meetings and make presentations, having the ZD along will add extra support to your cause.