Our Club
CLUB BY LAWS
ARTICLE I - NAME
The name of this organization shall be The Alvin Radio Control Model Airplane
Association (ARCMAA)
ARTICLE 11 - PURPOSES
A.The purposes of this organization shall be :
B.To operate as a non-profit organization under the laws of the State of Texas.
C.To encourage and promote the design, construction and operation of radio controlled model aircraft.
D.To provide for and regulate contests, events and exhibitions for such aircraft.
E.To promulgate and enforce such rules and regulations as necessary to insure the flying activities are sponsored by the ARCMAA, and are conducted in a safe and orderly way.
ARTICLE III - AFFILIATION
The ARCMAA shall be affiliated with the Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA)
as an AMA chartered club.
ARTICLE IV - MEMBERSHIP
A.Open Membership - Qualifications
1.Must be nineteen years of age or older.
2.Must have membership in AMA.
3.Payment of dues as prescribed in ARTICLE VIII.
4.Willingness to abide by the laws and rules of ARC.
5.New members must show their proof of AMA membership before flying at our field.
A.Open Membership - Privileges
I .The right to vote in person or by writing proxy, on all matters brought before the membership.
2.Eligibility to serve as a member of the Executive Committee.
3.Full participation as desired in all activities of the club.
C.Junior Membership - Qualifications
1. Must be less than nineteen years of age.
2. Must have membership in AMA.
3. Payment of dues as prescribed in ARTICLE VIII.
4. Willingness to abide by the laws and rules of ARCMAA.
5. New members must show their proof of AMA membership before flying at our field.
D.Junior Membership - Privileges
Full participation as desired in all activities of the club.
E.Family Membership - Qualifications
1. Single family household including all members with current AMA membership.
2. An age limit of eighteen years of age qualifying them as a Junior member. Must have current
AMA membership.
3. Wives would also be included free. Must be current AMA member.
F.Family Membership -Privileges
1.Privileges shall be the same as open membership for head of household.
2.Junior members and wives may not vote on any matters brought before the membership, although they may hold the floor and make second motions.
3.Junior members and wives may not serve as elected officers of ARCMAA.
G.All membership classifications will be decided on the member's age as of July 1, of the membership year in line with current AMA policy governing the same classifications.
H.Any person may be removed from membership for conduct prejudicial to the
interest of the club. Upon such recommendation by the Executive Committee, said member will be given written notice of intention to withdraw his membership at least seven (7) days prior to the regular meeting or special meeting, at which such withdrawal may be voted upon. Said member shall have the right to address the membership and present any witness in his behalf prior to taking of such vote. Cancellation of membership must be by affirmative vote of two-thirds of the voting membership at said meeting.
1.New club members must apply in person with a club officer or Executive Committee member. New members shall be indoctrinated on club safety rules and regulations. All new members must be flight checked by qualified club member before flying their own.
ARTICLE V - CLUB MEETINGS
A.Regular meetings shall be set and conducted by the Executive Committee at time and place designated.
B.Special meetings may be called by the president, majority vote of the Executive Committee, or by petition of ten percent of the membership. Written notice of said meeting must be mailed to each member at least five (5)days prior to such meeting, or by notification by telephone if nature of meeting requires immediate attention.
C.All meeting shall be conducted in accordance with Robert's Rule of Order.
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D.A meeting may be constituted without a quorum being present to conduct normal business of club affairs. A quorum must be present to act on any expenditures of club money in excess of two hundred fifty dollars. A quorum being a total number of members present to equal one-fourth of the
voting membership of the club. See page 11a for detailed explanation of current amendment in effect addressing limitations on club expenditures.
E.At each regular meeting there shall be included at least:
1. Determination that a quorum is present and noted in the minutes.
2. Reading of the minutes of the last regular meeting and any succeeding special meeting.
3. Treasurer's financial report.
4. Report of any actions of the Executive Committee.
5. Introduction of any guests and requests for application for any new membership.
6. Such other business as may properly come before the membership.
ARTICLE VI - EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
A.The Executive Committee shall consist of four elected officers as prescribed below, plus three additional officers elected from the open membership -
B.Duties - 'Me duties of the Executive Committee shall be to discharge the duties of their respected offices, and to act jointly as required to conduct the business of the club. Such actions are subject to membership approval at the next meeting.
ARTICLE VII - OFFICERS
A.Officers shall be:
President Vice-President Secretary
Treasurer Trustee - 2
AMENDMENT TO ARTICLE V: SECTION D
VOTED ON IN APRIL 1997
Normal business is to mean setting up for club events, such as(but not limited to) Big Birds, FunFlys, Races, BBQ, Parties (all types) and other similar events wherein cost to be covered by fees. raffles, and other sources of income, but not by money from the club treasury, unless such money is designated to be reimbursed by the aforementioned sources of income. Such advances from club treasury is to be limited to $250.00.
Business requiring club treasury money to be used that will not be reimbursed by income from said business is limited to an expenditure of $250.00/meeting with an accumulated annual total of such expenditures not to exceed $1,500.00). (6 meetings @,250.00=$I,500.)
Moneys spent for historical cost such as electricity, water, taxes, etc. and moneys approved by a quorum at a meeting will NOT be counted into the $1,500 maximum.)
When expenditures in excess of $250.00 are being voted on by a quorum, it is the responsibility of appropriate club officers to advise voting members if the expenditure up for vote is affordable and within that allowable by budget.
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B.Term - Officers -, shall serve for a period of one year or until a successor is elected. Term shall commence December lst. Trustee shall serve until he resigns or is no longer a member in good standing.
C.Election procedure shall be as follows:
1.Nominations will be made at the October meeting and must be made from the floor with prior consent of the nominee.
2.All elections will be in the form of written proxy. Voting forms will be mailed to all members immediately following the October meeting. All voting forms must be returned to the Secretary no later than five (5) days prior to the November meeting date. Voting forms will be retained in the event a recount is requested.
D.Vacancies - In the event that any office shall become vacant, a special election shall be held at the next regular meeting. Notice of the special election shall be made by written notice or by club newsletter prior to the next regularly scheduled club meeting.
E.Removal - Any officer may be removed from office, for just cause, by affirmative vote of two-thirds of the club membership.
F. Duties
1.President - The duties of the president shall be the act as chief executive officer of the club, and chairman of all meetings of the club and Executive Committee. He shall be responsible for general
management of the club. He shall see that all directives of the Executive Committee and membership are carried out, and shall serve as an ex-officio member of all committees.
2.Vice-President - The duties of the Vice-President shall be the same as that of the President in his absence.
3.Secretary - Duties shall be to enter and maintain in the books of the club, true minutes of all regular and special meetings, and meeting of the Executive Committee. He shall give all notices required by statute, by laws, or resolutions. He shall conduct the necessary activities to maintain the club's affiliation with the AMA, as a chartered club, and correspond on behalf of the club as required.
4. Treasurer - Duties shall be to maintain custody of all club funds and securities, record
in club records full and accurate accounts of all receipts and disbursements, deposit all
moneys, securities and other valuable effects in the name of the club in such depositories that may be designated by the Executive Committee, and disburse the funds of the club, as may be directed by the Committee. He shall receive the payments by the membership of dues and assessments, and notify the Committee of all delinquencies. He shall render to the president or to the Committee an account of his transactions upon request of either, and shall report at regular meeting the financial transactions that have occurred since the last regular meeting, and the resulting financial condition of the club. He shall prepare a budget of expected revenues and expenses for each year, and present the said budget for approval of the Executive Committee and adoption by majority vote of the membership at the regular meeting in March of each year. The approved budget shall be published in the club newsletter issued prior to the April regular meeting.
ARTICLE VIlI - DUES AND ASSESSMENTS
A.Dues shall be payable annually in May.
B.Open Membership - $120.00 annually and current AMA membership.
C.Family Membership - $150.00 annually and current AMA membership.
D.Junior Membership - $24.00 annually with current AMA membership.
E. A prorated payment for new members will be assessed as shown in the following schedule:
IndividualFamily Junior
May$120 $150$24
Jun120 15024
Jul100 12520
Aug90 112.5018
Sept80 10016
Oct70 87.5014
Nov60 7512
Dec50 62.5010
Jan40 508
Feb30 38.506
Mar140 17528
Apr 130 162.5026
F.Assessments - All members shall be responsible payment of special assessments as may be
prescribed in resolutions levying such assessments. Resolutions levying assessments must
be published in the club newsletter or by written notification prior to the regular meeting at
which they are considered, and to be effective, must be adopted by affirmative vote of
two thirds of the club membership.
G.Delinquencies - Should any member fail to pay dues or special assessments within sixty days of when due, he or she shall be automatically dropped from the club and all privileges will be revoked until his financial obligations are fully satisfied. Their reinstatement is also subject to the Board of Directors.
ARTICLE IX - FLYING REGULATIONS
A.All members and guests must possess current AMA membership before flying at the club flying site. Guests will be required to show their license to a member prior to flying.
B.Flying regulations shall be adopted at regular meetings by majority vote. The club officers are empowered to prohibit any practice not prescribed by such regulations which, in their sole opinion, endangers the safety of flyers or spectators.
C.The provision of the AMA Safety Code for Radio Controlled Model Aircraft are expressly included in the flying regulations of the ARCMAA.
D.Flying field rules shall be posted at the flying site operated by the ARCMAA, and a copy of the same shall be provided to each new member of the club. Willful disregard of flying regulations is considered cause for cancellation of membership in the ARCMAA.
E.Publications of flying regulations shall be published in the club newsletter following adoption by the membership.
F.Engines above 0. 1 0-cubic inch displacement will require a muffler.
ARTICLE X - AMENDMENT OF BY-LAWS
These by-laws may be amended by affirmative vote of a majority of the club membership, provided that notice of the proposed amendment is published in the club newsletter, or by written notification to the membership at least 5 days prior to the meeting at which the amendment is to be considered.
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RESOLUTION
Be it resolved with club approval of this resolution the Alvin R/C Club establishes permanent recognition for record achievements, the description of which are to follow in this document.
Each event shall have a permanent and continuous plaque to commemorate the achievement. This plaque shall be the property of the club but held in the possession of the individual holding the record. The plaque shall bear the name, date and record achievement by the individual. Should the record be broken by another individual, his name, date and record be described below the previous record holder and the plaque shall be held by him until such time as his record should be broken and the plaque passed on. Should the individual record holder, for whatever reason, leave the club, the commemorative plaque must be surrendered to the club president, (i.e. a record may be held only by a club member).
No restrictions are placed on the size, weight, engines or general configurations of the aircraft used in the record attempt.
All record attempts must be conducted at the official club field. These attempts must be scheduled, at such time as not to interfere with other field use or otherwise with permission of those members flying at the field at the time.
The attempt to establish a new record must be witnessed by the present record holder and the club president or by two members designated by either of these individuals.
All observation and measurement shall be made by the best instruments available to the club at the time and approved by the record challenger. Any dispute arising from these measurements shall be resolved by the Board of Directors.
The initial record holder shall be established by the best performance of three club members seeking that particular record. The club member shall make known to the president his intent to establish the record and arrange a date for the attempt. The club president will be responsible for seeing that the two witnesses are available for the event.
RULES & REGULATIONS FOR ATTEMPTING AND
SETTING CLUB RECORDS
HIGHEST ALTITUDE:
1. The aircraft may be powered or unpowered of any size or configuration.
2. The altitude recorded is that directly above the field.
3. The pilot of the aircraft being used in the record setting attempt must be positioned on the
club field and not in an airborne chase plane.
4. The pilot may use any visual aid to maintain visual contact with his aircraft.
5. There is no time limit to achieve maximum altitude.
6. The aircraft must land back on the club field. A touchdown on the field that carries across
the field boundary is acceptable, but a crash or landing off the field negates the record
attempt.
FASTEST 10 LAPS AROUND PYLONS:
1 . The aircraft may be powered or unpowered of any size or configuration.
2.The pylon course shall consist of an AMA regulation short pylon course as designated in the AMA racing rules and regulations handbook.
3.The time recorded shall initiate from the moment the aircraft is released (begins forward motion from the starling pad). Time shall be stopped once the aircraft has successfully completed ten (10) laps around the pylon course.
4.Any cut pylon negates the record attempt.
5.The aircraft seeking the record may fly the pylon course during a race or singularly at the
time the record attempt is undertaken.
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6.The aircraft must land back on the club field. A touchdown on the field that carries across the field boundary is acceptable, but a crash or landing off the field negates the record attempt.
CLIMB AND GLIDE:
1.The aircraft may be powered or unpowered of any size or configuration.
2.The time recorded shall initiate from the moment the aircraft is released (begins forward motion, on the runway). Time shall be stopped once the aircraft landing gear touches the ground again.
3.Thirty (30) seconds of engine run are allowed from the time the aircraft is released (or motion begins) at which time the throttle must be retarded with the intent of stopping the engine. At 35-seconds into the flight (5 seconds after retarding the throttle), the throttle is fully reopened. If the engine is still running, the flight is negated. The engine must remain dead through the remainder of the flight or the attempt is negated.
4.The aircraft must land back on the club field. A touchdown on the field that carries across the field boundary is acceptable, but a crash or landing off the field negates the record attempt.
FAST SPEED RUN:
1.The aircraft may be powered or unpowered of any size or configuration.
2.The speed measured shall be the average of two level passes across the field at 180-degrees relative to one another with no landings or extended delays between runs-
3.Passes must be at or below 50-feet, and the aircraft in level flight through the course run.
4.The aircraft must land back on the club field. A touchdown on the field that carries across the field boundary is acceptable, but a crash or landing off the field negates the record attempt.
LONGEST AIRBORNE TIME (ENDURANCE):
1.The aircraft may be powered or unpowered of any size or configuration.
2.The time recorded shall initiate from the moment the aircraft breaks ground. Time shall be stopped once the aircraft landing gear touches the ground again.
3.The aircraft must land back on the club field. A touchdown on the field that carries across the field boundary is acceptable, but a crash or landing off the field negates the record attempt.
4.The pilot may use as many pit crewmen as he deems necessary, but any back-up pilot must be a club member.
TOTAL NUMBER OF TOUCH-AND-GO LANDINGS WITHOUT STOPPING:
1 .The aircraft may be powered or unpowered of any size or configuration.
2.The total number of touch-and-go landings are those which are performed by the pilot without benefit of refueling or otherwise stopping or leaving the traffic pattern.
3.A landing is countable when any part of the landing gear touches the runway. If no part of the landing gear touches the runway on a landing attempt the flyby is not counted, but does not negate the record attempt.
4.The traffic pattern shall be a rectangular course of left or right hand pattern with the downwind leg beyond the boundary of the club field.
5.The final landing must be made on the club field. A touchdown on the field that carries across the field boundary is acceptable, but a crash or landing off the field negates the record attempt.