bylaws change

The purpose of the club shall be to provide leadership in the modeling community and to promote modeling as a hobby/sport, to give flying instruction, to help juniors and seniors in the hobby sport of model aircraft and to provide and maintain an adequate flying site for radio-controlled model aircraft.

Article III

Membership

1. Categories of Membership

a. Associate members are those individuals who have made application to become a new member and have paid in full all required fees to the LFC.

b. Full members are those associate members who have completed one year of associate membership in the LFC.

c. Junior members are those individuals who are under the age of 18. Junior members must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

2. The number of memberships available shall be determined by the members in good standing at the annual meeting held in January each year.

3. After recommendation by the Board of Directors, if a vacancy exists, a person may become an associate member of the Club after application and the payment of fees.

4. After a one year probationary period, associate members become full members in good standing unless an objection is raised by the Board of Directors.

5. All members shall belong to the Academy of Model Aeronautics (A.M.A.) prior to acceptance into LFC.

6. Any member operating equipment on six (6) meters at the flying site shall hold a valid F.C.C. license to cover such operations. Such license number and expiration date shall be recorded by the club Treasurer.

7. Physical year of the membership shall be January 1 through December 31 of each year.

8. Dues for the coming year are due by December 31 of the current year. If payment is not received by the due date, the individual's membership will be considered open, and his/her flying privileges will be suspended. Dues paid on or before the December meeting will receive a $5.00 discount.

9. President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, Safety Officer, Property Maintenance Officer, Newsletter Editor, and Chief Flight Instructor (took out lifetime member) shall be exempt from annual dues after completion of one year of service for one year following the year of service.

10. Should a vacancy arise, a prospective member not belonging to the A.M.A. shall make paid application to the A.M.A. along with LFC fees.

11. Non-members can make up to three flying visits. Non-members must be accompanied by a sponsoring member in good standing. AMA membership is required for all non-members. After the third visit, membership will be required for further flying.

12. Temporary membership is available for thirty-day periods. Rates to be determined by the Board. Thirty-day memberships are non-voting memberships.

Article IV

Officers/ Board of Directors

The elected officers of LFC shall be the President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer. The Board of Directors shall be four (4), elected, full members in good standing. Appointed officers shall be Safety Officer, Property Maintenance Officer, Newsletter Editor, and Chief Flight Instructor.

Article V

Nominations, Elections, Appointments, Term of Office, and Board of Directors

1. Nominations:

a. Nominating chairman to be appointed by the President no later than the September membership meeting. Nominating committee will consist of a chair person and two (2) additional full members in good standing, at large chosen by the chairman.

b. The nominating committee will present its slate of nominees at the November meeting. At that time, additional nominations will be taken from any individual member in good standing. At the conclusion of the November meeting, all nominations will be closed.

c. The slate of nominees shall be published in the November newsletter and/or posted on the website.

d. The slate shall consist of nominees for the office of President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer and four Directors.

e. All candidates must be full members in good standing at the time of the elections.

2. Elections:

a. Take place at the regular membership meeting in December of each year.

b. Voting to be set by secret ballot by members present. In such case as only one (1) nominee may be running for office, the secret ballot may be dispensed with and election of that office conducted by a show of hands.

c. Term of office shall be from January 1 until December 31 of each year.

3. Appointments:

a. To be made by the Board of Directors.

b. Appointees to be members in good standing.

4. Vacancies:

a. If for any reason an office is vacated during the year, the President may appoint a temporary replacement.

b. Special nominations and elections will be held at the next regular membership meeting. Notification of the election will be given in the official monthly newsletter and/or posted on the website preceding the meeting.

c. If a period of less than four (4) months remain in the term, the Presidential appointment will be good for the remainder of the term.

Article VI

Duties of Officers and Board Members

1. Duties of the President:

a. Preside over all meetings, both regular and special.

b. Serve as chairperson of the Board of Directors.

c. Act as spokesperson for LFC Inc.

d. Appoint all committees and to serve as an ex-officio member of any and all committees when needed except the nominating committee.

e. Serve as primary contact for all correspondence with local and state governments and the AMA.

f. Ensure the club charter is reviewed and paid annually.

2. Duties of the Vice-President:

a. Aid the President in carrying out the duties of the office whenever possible, and to fulfill the duties of the President in the event of absence at any meeting.

b. Organize raffles, fun-fly’s, contests, and events.

c. Act as chairman of the program committee.

3. Duties of the Secretary:

a. Keep all records, files, and documents of importance to LFC Inc.

b. Send and receive correspondence for LFC Inc. except as otherwise provided or required.

c. Take minutes of all meetings, both regular and special, and read those minutes at the next regular meeting.

d. Keep a book with the By-Laws, leaving every other page blank, so that any amendment may be entered opposite where recorded.

e. Provide a list of officers and board members to all concerned, including A.M.A. at the beginning of each year.

4. Duties of the Treasurer:

a. Set up and maintain checking and savings accounts and act as a banker for LFC Inc.

b. Act as accountant for LFC Inc., with guidance, if necessary, of a certified public accountant retained by the Board of Directors.

c. Give a report of the financial condition of LFC Inc. at each regular meeting.

d. Act as chairman of the Finance Committee.

e. Provide a copy of the Club By-Laws and Safety Rules to each new member.

f. Have available an up-to-date membership list for the members of the Club by the April regular meeting each year. This list may be revised from time to time.

g. Prepare and present an annual budget at the October meeting.

5. Duties of the Safety Officer:

a. Assure the Safety Rules and Safety Regulations are posted at the flying site.

b. Make recommendations as to changes and or additions to the Safety Rules.

c. Act as safety monitor and appoint assistant safety officers.

d. Report on safety problems and provide safety information at regular meetings.

e. Ground and temporarily suspend an individual member who violates the safety rules from operating his/her aircraft at the LFC Inc. flying site. Such member shall be grounded for a period of up to seven (7) days by the Safety Officer or assistant safety officers. Suspensions for longer than seven (7) days will be determined by the Board of Directors.

f. Monthly reports of safety violations are to be reported to the Board of Directors.

6. Duties of the Property Maintenance Officer:

a. Police the flying field, seeing that it is kept clean.

b. See that the field is mowed as required, and that all runways and taxiways are in safe and flyable condition at all times.

c. See that equipment normally used be in proper repair and available when needed.

d. Maintain the frequency board and any other structures at the flying site as required to meet safety and county codes.

e. Maintain first aid equipment.

f. Purchase supplies as necessary for field maintenance (amount to be determined by the Board of Directors).

7. Duties of the Newsletter Editor:

a. See that the newsletter is written and available to all members through the website at least one week prior to the regular monthly meeting.

b. Make the monthly newsletter available to AMA and District Directors through the LFC website.

c. Help promote the hobby/sport of aero modeling to the general public.

8. THIS WHOLE SECTION TO BE DELETED. Duties of Elected Board Members:

a. Serve as voting members of the Board of Directors.

b. Attend board meetings to represent the membership at large.

c. Perform assigned duties.

NEW NUMBER 8

8. Duties of Chief Flight Instructor

a. Approve designated flight instructors

b. Approve a flight instruction program for new students

Article VII

The Board of Directors

The Board of Directors of LFC Inc. shall include the President, , Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, plus four (4) members of the Club elected from the membership at large, specifically for the purpose of serving on the Board of Directors.

The Board of Directors will make recommendations to the membership and perform such duties as specified by LFC Inc. By-Laws.

Regular monthly meetings of the Board of Directors shall be scheduled at a time and place convenient to the majority of board members. Special meetings may be held as needed by the Chairman of the Board. All members of the Board will be notified no later than three (3) days prior to any special meeting.

A quorum of the Board of Directors must be present to conduct a meeting. Six (6) members present shall constitute a quorum for a Board of Directors meeting.

Duties of the Board of Directors shall include:

1. Fixing the hour and the place of the regular monthly membership meeting.

a. Regular membership meetings to be held once a month at a time and place suitable and convenient for the majority of the members.

b. The January meeting shall be the official annual meeting.

c. Special membership meetings may be called by the President, if deemed necessary.

d. A quorum must be present to conduct an official meeting. At least ten (10) members, including officers, must be present at a meeting to constitute a quorum.

e. Voting shall be by voice or show of hands, unless otherwise provided, such as elections or expulsions.

f. When voting by ballot, the President shall appoint two (2) counters who will be responsible for passing out and collecting ballots to members in good standing, tabulating and announcing the results of each vote.

2. Expulsion of members who jeopardize the existence or well being of LFC Inc. or its flying site will be made by secret ballot. A three-fourths majority vote of the board members is needed to suspend or expel from LFC Inc. All fees will be forfeited.

3. Determine fees and assessments, if any, sufficient to the Club treasury.

4. Appoint officers from members in good standing to serve as Property Maintenance Officer, Newsletter Editor, Safety Officer, and Chief Flight Instructor.

5. Appoint a Chief Flight Instructor; approve designated flight instructors and a flight instruction program for new students. NUMBER 5 IS NEW NUMBER 8 UNDER ARTICLE VI

Article VIII

Grounding and Expulsion

1. Grounding:

a. Grounding is the loss of flying privileges at the Club flying site.

b. A member may be grounded, for good cause, by the Club Safety Officer or assistant safety officers.

c. If a grounding period of more than seven (7) days is recommended by the Safety Officer, a special board meeting will be called.

2. Reasons for grounding:

a. Violation of Club Safety Rules. Knowledge of Safety Rules is member’s responsibility.

b. Defacing site or Club property.

c. Attempts by student pilots to fly without the assistance of a designated instructor.

d. Operating an aircraft or conducting oneself in an unsafe manner.

e. Failure to observe designated hours of operation.

3. Grounds for expulsion:

a. Flying or attempting to fly at the Club flying site after having been grounded.

b. Providing non-members access to the Club flying site by disclosing the gate combination.

c. Consumption of alcoholic beverages or illegal drugs at the Club flying site.

d. Night flying at the Club flying site.

e. Consistent disregard of Flying Safety Rules.

f. Member misconduct during any Club activity, including, but not limited to, hostility, abusive or derogatory speech or action toward another person. This includes other members and non-members.

4. Expulsion of member:

a. Written Notice and a written Complaint against a member by US Mail, stating the facts relevant to alleged misconduct of a member shall be made by the President. A copy of the Notice and Complaint shall be mailed to each Board member at the same time. The Notice shall state that the board will conduct a Hearing on the Complaint on a specific date, time, and place not less than 12 days following the date that the Notice and Complaint are mailed. On that date, the Board shall convene and hear all relevant evidence relating to the Complaint. The Complainant will be allowed to attend and speak at the hearing. The Board will provide a written decision on the Complaint to the President and the member at the time of the Hearing. The President shall enforce the decision of the Board.

b. An expelled member will forfeit any and all fees.

Article IX

Amendments and Replacement of Officers

These By-Laws may be amended at any regular meeting after:

1. The recommendation of the Board of Directors and a 2/3 vote of the members in good standing at that meeting.

2. By a majority vote of the members in good standing present when the proposed amendment has been discussed at the previous meeting and published in the monthly newsletter.

3. Impeachment of an elected officer may take place upon the recommendation of the Board of Directors and a 2/3 vote of the members in good standing present at the general meeting with publication in the official Club newsletter prior to the meeting.

Article X

Dissolution of The Club

The Club may be dissolved upon recommendation of the Board of Directors and with the majority vote of the entire membership in good standing, by written ballot, at a special meeting called for that purpose. All members must be notified in writing thirty (30) days prior to such vote. Proxy votes must be received prior to the special meeting by the Secretary. This is the only time a proxy vote is valid.

In the event of dissolution of LFC Inc., all assets shall be distributed as determined by a majority vote of the members in good standing present at the special meeting, ninety (90) days after dissolution.

THIS SECTION TO BE MOVED TO THE SAFETY RULES

Article XI

Helicopter Operation at Largo Flying Field

1. Helicopters include both electric and internal combustion.

2. All hover flight with helicopters will be over the helicopter pad.

3. Helicopters will be tested and must meet the same sound restrictions as airplanes (94db at 10 feet), before flying at LFC Inc.

4. Helicopters and airplanes must share the same frequency control board.

5. Helicopters may fly from the runway only when they follow airplane flight patterns.

6. All other membership/guest rules apply to helicopter pilots.

THIS SECTION TO BE DELETED

Article XII

Control Line Operation at Largo Flying Field

1. All control line flight will be over the control line circle.

2. Control airplanes will be tested and must meet the Club sound restriction of 94db at 10 feet before flying at LFC Inc.

3. LFC Inc. members who fly only control line must belong to A.M.A.

4. No 27 mHz or 72 mHz radio frequency operations allowed.

5. All aircraft must have a breakaway safety device.

6. All other membership/guest rules apply to control line pilots.