This briefing sheet will help orient a new Club member to the content of the Constitution and By-Laws and Operating Procedures.

In the event of discrepancy between this document and official Club documents, the official Club documents govern.

Membership

1. Q: To whom is membership open?
   A: Per the Constitution and By-Laws, membership is open to all persons, except that a parent or guardian must accept financial responsibility for a member below legal age. Practically speaking, we admit pilots wishing to fly our airplane or other persons wishing to learn to fly.

2. Q: What amounts are the initiation fee, active dues, LOA dues, and airplane rental?
   A: See our main page.

3. Q: What is "provisional membership"?
   A: When a new member joins, he pays only the first half of the initiation fee. This gets him a membership that is good for six months. Anytime during the six-month period, either the Club or the member can end the membership. At the end of the six-month period, if the Club and the member both wish to continue the membership, the member pays the second half of the initiation fee. Every member who joins the club starts as a provisional member.

4. Q: What is a "leave of absence" (LOA) membership? When can a member take one, and how long must it last? What does a member give up by going LOA?
   A: An LOA membership lets a member take a temporary break from active membership. It lasts at least one year. The member's dues drop dramatically, and he has no aircraft scheduling or use privileges, no voting privileges, and no claim on club assets.

5. Q: What does it mean to be a member in "good standing"? What does a member give up when he is not in good standing?
   A: A member is in good standing when his account is current and no paperwork he owes the club is past due. When he is not in good standing, a member cannot vote at Club meetings, cannot make aircraft reservations, and cannot use Club equipment. If he is sponsoring pinch-hitter candidates, those candidates lose their Club privileges, too.

6. Q: Do you have a "family membership" program?
   A: Yes. Second and subsequent active members within the same family get a discount on dues. See our Operating Procedures for more information.

7. Q: What are the reasons a member can be expelled? How does expulsion work?
   A: A member can be expelled for infraction of Federal Aviation Regulations or Club rules, dishonesty, or conduct detrimental to the objects or interests of the Club. He can also be expelled for letting his account get older than 60 days.

Payment

1. Q: When and how often does the Club send billings? When is payment due?
   A: The Club bills on the first of each month. Payment in full is due to the club PO box by the last day of the month.

2. Q: What forms of payment does the Club accept?
   A: We very strongly prefer that you mail a check or money order to the club PO box. Do not leave payments at the FBO. If you must pay in cash, pay the Secretary-Treasurer at a regularly-scheduled club meeting.

3. Q: What happens when a member does not pay his bill in full on time?
   A: If a member does not pay his account in full by the end of the month, he falls out of good standing. If a member's account ages to 60 days past the billing date, he becomes eligible for expulsion.

Meetings

1. Q: According to the Constitution and By-Laws, when and how often are meetings required?
   A: The Constitution and By-Laws require one Board of Directors meeting each November. Also, the Secretary-Treasurer must call a Board meeting whenever two Directors request one. Similarly, the Constitution and By-Laws require a membership meeting each December or whenever three members request one.

2. Q: But the Club meets quarterly. When and where?
   A: The Board runs an open Club meeting the last Tuesday of each quarter. See the club newsletter for the location. All members are welcome.

3. Q: Who may vote at a meeting?
   A: An active member in good standing may vote at a meeting.

4. Q: Under what conditions does the whole membership vote on an issue, and under what conditions is a vote of the Board of Directors sufficient?
   A: The Constitution and By-Laws vests nearly all decision-making and policy-making power in the Club's Board of Directors. Very seldom is a vote of the entire active membership required. Thus, almost all of the votes that come up at club meetings are votes in which only the Board participates. Issues requiring a vote of the entire active membership are removal of a Director from office, election of the Officers and the Board of Directors, review of Club policy, and amendment of the Constitution and By-Laws.

Officers and Directors

1. Q: How many Officers does the Club have, and what are their titles and duties?
   A: The Club's Officers are the President, the Secretary-Treasurer, and the Maintenance Officer. Their duties are described in the Constitution and By-Laws. Each Officer is a member of the Board of Directors.

2. Q: Are there additional Directors besides the Officers?
   A: Yes. The Board of Directors consists of five Directors: the three Officers, plus two Directors-at-Large.

3. Q: Who are the Club Officers and Directors today? What are their phone numbers?
   A: Directors are:

   President	vacant
   Secretary-Treasurer	vacant
   Maintenance Officer	vacant
   Director-at-Large	vacant
   Director-at-Large	vacant

4. Q: When and how often are Officers and Directors elected?
   A: Officers and Directors are nominated each November. They are elected each December by majority vote of a quorum of the membership.

Instructors

1. Q: Does the Club have instructors on staff?
   A: Not exactly. The Club has approved a few instructors to conduct instruction in our airplane. Only Club-approved instructors may conduct instruction in our airplane.

2. Q: Who are the Club-approved instructors?
   A: The list of Club-approved instructors is posted on the Club web site.

3. Q: Why may only Club-approved instructors provide instruction in Club aircraft?
   A: A Club-approved instructor has been briefed over Club procedures. He has also provided written affirmation that he will carry CFI insurance whenever he instructs in our airplane. The Board has decided that it wants only instructors who have met these requirements to instruct our members in our aircraft.

4. Q: How does a member secure Club-approved status for his favorite instructor?
   A: Have the instructor contact any Director, or point the instructor to the Club web site. The instructions for becoming a Club-approved instructor are posted there.

5. Q: Does the requirement to be Club-approved also apply to instructors one might hire at a flight school?
   A: Yes. If you would like to use our airplane in connection with instruction you take at a flight school, please first arrange for the school to become Club-approved. Contact the Secretary-Treasurer for instructions.

6. Q: When a member takes instruction in a Club airplane, who pays for the instructor?
   A: The member schedules and pays the instructor directly.

Checkouts and Transition Training

1. Q: Are there checkout requirements I must satisfy prior to soloing Club aircraft?
   A: Yes. The Club requires you to pass a Club check ride prior to solo. This fulfills requirements levied by our insurance carrier. It's also just good operating practice.

2. Q: I'll need a pilot's operating handbook (POH). Where do I get one?
   A: The Secretary-Treasurer will lend you a POH and a set of airplane keys. These items remain Club property and must be returned when you leave the Club.

3. Q: I'll need access to the airplane, too. How do I get that?
   A: The hangar is open whenever the Tri-Cities FBO is open (at this writing, 8 AM to 6 PM daily). They will pull the airplane out for you and park it on the ramp, and they'll put it away when you're done. If you need access to the airplane outside of the FBO's normal business hours, advise them in advance so that they can arrange to put the airplane out for you before they close.

4. Q: Whom do I call to arrange for transition training and checkout?
   A: Contact any Club-approved instructor and ask for new member transition training and a club checkout. All of the Club-approved instructors know how to do this.

5. Q: Is there a task sheet or outline that describes the Club checkride?
   A: Yes. The checkride task sheet is on the Club web site. This is the sheet the Club-approved instructor will use to decide whether you are ready to solo our airplane. You will need to complete all of the tasks successfully in order to pass the Club checkride.

6. Q: Is there any paperwork to be done as part of receiving the checkout?
   A: After the instructor has signed you off, be sure he fills out the affirmation section at the bottom of the checkride task sheet and mails the affirmation to us. We must have this completed affirmation in our files prior to your first solo. This satisfies insurance requirements.

Reservations

1. Q: Who may reserve the airplane? How does one reserve the airplane?
   A: An active member in good standing may reserve the airplane. A pinch-hitter candidate operating under an effective petition may also reserve the airplane. Make reservations using the club's Internet-based scheduling service.

2. Q: Are there limits on the number of reservations I can have open at once, or on how far in advance I can make a reservation?
   A: Technically, no. However, remember that all of the members expect, and are entitled to, reasonable access to the airplane, during both prime flying times (e.g., summer weekends) and the low season, without experiencing undue waits or having scheduling difficulties. As you make your reservations, keep your recent use history in mind. Book your flights in a way that demonstrates that sharing the airplane with the other members is a priority for you.

3. Q: Suppose a member reserves the airplane and doesn't show up on time. When does his reservation expire?
   A: For a cross-country flight of eight hours or more, a reservation expires in one hour. All other reservations expire in fifteen minutes.

4. Q: Does the reservation expiration clause relieve a member of having to cancel his reservation if he knows he is not going to use it?
   A: Absolutely not. As soon as a member knows he is not going to use his reservation, he should cancel his reservation.

5. Q: What conditions justify returning the airplane late? Whom should a member contact if he is going to be late?
   A: In general, bad weather or mechanical difficulties are the justifiable reasons, though no Club rule directly addresses the question. If a member is going to be late, he should call a Director so that we can take care of any scheduling conflicts that might have arisen.

Currency

1. Q: Where are the club's PIC currency and experience requirements documented?
   A: See the Operating Procedures.

2. Q: How should a member inform the Club of check rides, BFRs, and other renewals of flight review currency?
   A: Have the instructor fill out the club endorsement and send it to us.

Operation of Club Equipment

1. Q: Who may operate Club equipment?
   A: An active member in good standing, or a non-member listed on the Club's insurance policy as an approved pilot, may operate Club equipment, subject to limitations specified in the Operating Procedures.

2. Q: Is one permitted to operate the airplane from an unpaved runway? What about an unlighted runway?
   A: Unpaved, yes. Unlighted, only during daylight.

3. Q: May I fly the airplane to Canada?
   A: The airplane is insured for Canadian flights. However, be sure to check with the Secretary-Treasurer for important insurance details before you depart for Canada. You are responsible for your own compliance with customs and immigration regulations.

4. Q: What are one's responsibilities when returning the airplane to Tri-Cities?
   A: Refuel the airplane. Move the airplane to a tie-down, chock it, and if the FBO cannot immediately put the airplane away, tie it down. Clean out personal belongings and trash, secure the flight controls, cover the pitot tube, fill out the tachometer log, and lock the airplane. Report squawks to the Maintenance Officer. In winter, install the preheat equipment if you can get to it. If you need a vacuum cleaner, you can borrow one from the FBO.

5. Q; What are one's responsibilities if he parks the airplane at a remote airport?
   A: Secure the airplane as you would if you were parking it overnight outdoors at Tri-Cities. If the FBO has space, put it in a hangar.

6. Q: Where is the preheat equipment, and how do I use it?
   A: The equipment is in the club locker. There are instructions on the Club web site and in the tachometer log book.

7. Q: What else is in the locker, and where is the locker key?
   A: The locker also contains some airplane cleaning supplies, oil, the airplane maintenance records, and miscellaneous equipment. The locker key is in the black pouch in the tachometer log book.

Maintenance

1. Q: Airplanes require regular maintenance, such as oil changes. Where are these "next maintenance due" milestones documented?
   A: On the top of the tachometer log sheet there is a small table that lists when the next oil change is due, when the next annual is due, and the like. You can use this information to determine whether a regularly scheduled maintenance task has come due. If you find that some milestone has arrived (for example, that an oil change is due), please contact the Maintenance Officer.

2. Q: Whom should a member contact when the airplane has a mechanical problem? What are his name and phone number?
   A: Contact the Maintenance Officer. His name and telephone number are on the tachometer log sheet. Please also use the Internet-based scheduling service to fill out a squawk report.

3. Q: Suppose a member finds the airplane to be unsafe for flight. Can he ground the airplane? Whom should the member call?
   A: Yes. Place an obvious note on the pilot's yoke and then call the Maintenance Officer. His name and telephone number are on the tachometer log sheet. Please also use the Internet-based scheduling service to fill out a squawk report.

Paperwork

1. Q: Where is the Club's fuel charge card kept? What may a member charge on it? Where may a member use it?
   A: The Club's fuel charge card is in the black pouch in the tachometer log book. Feel free to charge any club-borne expense, such as fuel, oil, or maintenance. Do not charge personal expenses, such as charts or landing fees, on the Club's card.

2. Q: What if the airport I visit does not accept the Club's fuel card?
   A: Use your own purchasing means (personal credit card, cash, whatever). Get a receipt for your purchase. Turn in your receipt to the Secretary-Treasurer when you make your next Club payment. The Secretary-Treasurer will credit your Club account in the amount you paid for fuel.

3. Q: Where is the airplane's current weight and balance information kept?
   A: The master copy of the POH contains current weight and balance information. So do the tachometer log book and the Club web site.

4. Q: Where is the airplane's POH (Pilot's Operating Handbook) kept? How can a member get his own copy?
   A: The master copy is in the plastic bin in the airplane baggage compartment. If you ask, the Secretary-Treasurer will lend you a copy for the duration of your membership.

5. Q: Where are the airplane's maintenance logs kept? How does one get access to them?
   A: The maintenance logs are in the Club's locker, which is in the hangar at Tri-Cities. The logs are irreplaceable and very valuable. Do not remove them from the immediate vicinity of the locker without explicit permission of the Maintenance Officer.

Accidents and Insurance

1. Q: Who are the insured parties on the Club's insurance policy?
   A: The insured parties are Ace Flying Club of Endicott, Inc. and the member operating the airplane, subject to limitations specified in the policy. A CFI exercising his instruction privileges in our airplane is never an insured party under the Club's policy, even if the CFI is also a Club member.

2. Q: Must a member provide his own insurance?
   A: If you want to avoid paying the Club's deductible out-of-pocket, or if you want insurance limits in excess of what the Club has purchased, non-owner insurance is a good idea. Similarly, if you incur a loss while operating the airplane in such a way that the Club's policy is not in force, non-owner insurance might help you. Avemco Insurance Company and AOPA are sources of non-owner insurance. The Club does not endorse any specific provider of non-owner insurance.

3. Q: What are a member's responsibilities in the event of an accident?
   A: The pilot in command must contact the FAA and NTSB. Calling Flight Service meets this requirement. The pilot in command must also contact a Director.

Revised October 24, 2007