Group Management [Archive]

Genghis the Engineer

2nd Sep 2004, 19:33

These are (with a bit of disidentification) the rules for a medium sized group that I'm secretary of, please feel free to plagiarise them. So far they've worked fairly well, particularly using a Yahoo group for communications and bookings.

Another group that I belong to (but am not an officer of) has an additional "documentation" committee member whose job it is to ensure that all the members have licences and legal currency up to date - a good idea with a rare or high value aeroplane.

G

1. The *************** Group is a syndicate set up to operate and fly ********** registration G-****, which will normally be based at ******* airfield.
2. All members own equal shares in the aircraft, and have equal rights to fly it.
3. At least once per year, the group must hold an AGM, at which the following officers must be elected within the group.
a. Chairman
b. Secretary
c. Treasurer
d. Cleaning and Maintenance member
e. Bookings member.
It is permitted to share tasks, but there must always be at-least 3 syndicate officers.
4. All members of the group must:-
a. Be members (in the appropriate grade) of ******** Flying Club.
b. Be members of the BMAA / PFA (as appropriate to aircraft).
c. Before first flying as pilot in command of the aircraft, have flown with either a flying instructor or another syndicate member (authorised for the purpose by the Chairman) from ******* who must confirm that they are safe to fly the aircraft. This does not apply to founder members who were full members of ******** Flying Club, and had at-least 10 hours in (type) prior to joining.
5. When flying as pilot of the syndicate aircraft, except with (or authorised per sortie by) a qualified instructor familiar with the type, all group members must:-
a. Hold a current pilots license which permits them to fly as pilot in command of a British registered (type), and
b. Have flown at-least 3 take-offs and landings in the last 90 days in the aircraft or a similar type – even when flying solo. If this can’t be achieved, they may fly as a “passenger handling the controls” with any other syndicate member who is current (or under instruction of a qualified microlight instructor), and
c. Have at-least 10 hours total time in (type), or has been signed off as fit to fly as pilot in command of a (type)by an instructor, and
d. Be up to date on their monthly payments to the syndicate.
e. No non-syndicate member is to be permitted to fly as pilot in command of the aircraft, or to handle the controls during take-off and landing. unless carrying out duties as a qualified microlight instructor, or as an airworthiness Check Pilot.
6. All expenditure on the aircraft less than £100 per item must be agreed by at-least two officers of the syndicate. All expenditure on the aircraft more than £100 per item (not including oil, annual insurance, or essential ******** airfield fees) must be agreed by at-least 2/3 of the syndicate. Ballot may be by any method.
7. The chairman will be responsible for:-
a. Calling meetings.
b. Chairing all meetings, or delegating this role to somebody else if they are unavailable.
c. Signing cheques jointly with the treasurer.
d. Ensuring that anything that needs doing, gets done by somebody.
8. The secretary will be responsible for:-
a. Controlling all aircraft paperwork.
b. Controlling all syndicate membership paperwork.
c. Ensuring that each member has an up to date copy of the operators manual for the aircraft, and any additional operating information that they may need.
d. Issuing membership share certificates to group members.
e. Ensuring that the aircraft is currently insured to whatever standard has been agreed by the syndicate as a whole.
9. The treasurer will be responsible for:-
a. Maintaining accounts for the syndicate, which are to be separate from those for ******** or any other flying club.
b. Arranging for monthly syndicate payments to be made.
c. Paying into the syndicate account hourly payments for use of the aircraft.
d. Paying all bills on behalf of the syndicate, including permit renewal fees, tie-down fees.
e. Controlling the syndicate’s bank account, and any necessary paperwork (chequebooks, etc.)
f. Controlling payments for members flying hours
g. Ensuring that adequate cash reserves are available for predicted major costs (e.g. engine overhaul, new sails, permit revalidation).
10. The cleaning and maintenance member will be responsible for:-
a. Ensuring that all maintenance is properly carried out.
b. Arranging for the annual permit revalidation.
c. Ensuring that all modification (s) made to the aeroplane have been approved.
d. Maintaining a rota, which is to include ALL syndicate members, for cleaning of the aircraft as often as it’s necessary.
e. Purchasing all consumable materials (oil, spark plugs, cleaning materials, etc.) but not fuel.
f. Notifying the bookings member when the aircraft will be unavailable for maintenance or cleaning, or any other related reason.
11. The bookings member will be responsible for:-
a. Maintaining a bookings diary.
b. Taking bookings, or arranging any method that allows bookings to be made.
12. Individual members (including committee members):-
a. May at any time have up to three bookings, totalling no more than 5 days (maximum 2 weekend days), in the bookings diary. If two members wish to fly the aircraft together for two successive bookings totalling more than 6 days, this must be agreed in advance by both the chairman and maintenance and cleaning member. Except that:-
i. Bookings may not be for more than 45 minutes per member per day after 1615 local time on the second Thursday of the month (between April and October inclusive only), except by agreement of the syndicate chairman. (Note: second Thursday evening is our local club night)
ii. Bookings may not be for more than 2 hours per member per day on a bank holiday between April and October inclusive.
b. May fly the aircraft if they turn up and within 1½ hours of the start of somebody else’s booking (or 15 minutes in the cases of a.i. and a.ii above) that other member hasn’t turned up, or otherwise by agreement with the booked member.
c. Must provide their own fuel, to be mixed with oil provided by the syndicate. (Or, if they wish to, provide their own oil the same type.)
d. Are responsible for maintaining their own legal currency as a pilot.
e. Must always leave the fuel tank full after use, unless by arrangement with the next member booked to use the aircraft.
f. Must after use either put a cheque in the cashbox in the **********, or post a cheque within 3 days to the treasurer for their hourly costs.
g. Must make entries in the aircraft and engine logbook(s), which will be kept in the caravan (or other site on the airfield, by agreement of syndicate members), for their flying before the aircraft is flown by any other person.
h. Must make appropriate logbook entries and notify the maintenance member immediately if any fault has been found on the aircraft which will prevent or restrict it being flown.
i. Are responsible for their own landing fees, charts, guides, etc.
j. Must pay all bills to the syndicate within 60 days, otherwise they will be considered suspended from flying the aircraft until they are no longer in debt to the syndicate.
13. Payments:-
a. At creation of the syndicate, all members buying in shall pay £****. This applies until the aircraft has it’s 2004 permit to fly revalidation, after which they shall pay £**** (or a different value by agreement of 2/3 of the existing syndicate).
b. Each member shall arrange with the treasurer to pay £***/month, or different value as later agreed by 2/3 of the syndicate,once the 2004 permit revalidation has been carried out, into the syndicate bank account.
c. Each member shall pay £***/hr, or higher value as agreed by 2/3 of the syndicate, based upon logged time from brakes-off to brakes-on.
14. Joining the group.
a. The initial membership of the group may not be more than 12.
b. If subsequently the group wishes to enlarge beyond 12 members, additional members may join, subject to agreement of 2/3 of the existing syndicate.
c. Even if a share has been sold by one of the group members, the new member must be approved by 2/3 of the remainder of the syndicate.
d. There may be no more than 20 members of the group.
15. Leaving the group.
a. A member may choose to leave the group at any time. They may either sell their share at market value, or (at the discretion of the group by a 2/3 vote) it may buy the share back into the group at £***. A member leaving the group must continue to make their monthly payments until those have been taken on by a new member.
b. If a member is considered to have acted in a manner which is unacceptable to the group then the group may by 2/3 vote of all other members exclude them from. In this case, they may be given the choice of either selling their share at market value, or selling it back to the group for £100. They need not make any further payments to the syndicate immediately it has been decided to exclude them from the group – unless they owe it money in which case that may be deducted from the sale of their share if this is considered appropriate by the club officers.
16. In the event of an accident.
a. The member flying the aircraft at the time of the accident, or first member to be aware of an accident if it occurred whilst not in the control of a specific member of the syndicate, shall be responsible for notifying the appropriate authorities.
b. Should any damage be suffered to the aircraft, then the pilot flying the aircraft will be responsible for liaising with the syndicate secretary as soon as is practicable to ensure that a proper insurance report has been made.
c. Should the aircraft be damaged through, in the opinion of the majority of syndicate members, no fault of any one syndicate member: all syndicate members shall be equally responsible for the cost of the insurance excess. Otherwise the pilot in command at the time of the accident shall be responsible.
d. Should the aircraft be destroyed beyond economic repair, the total assets remaining to the syndicate may be valued, the syndicate dissolved, and it’s assets divided equally between all members after the settling of all accounts. This is unless, by 2/3 majority vote of syndicate members and necessary financial adjustment, it is decided to purchase a new aircraft in which case that aircraft will replace G-****.
e. Should the aircraft be damaged by any member who was acting in a way that was considered by the insurance company to invalidate the insurance (for example not having a current certificate of validity for their PPL, or flying in a manner that breached the ANO) then that member shall be wholly responsible for the cost of repair or replacement of the aircraft.
17. Acceptance of these rules.
a. It is a condition of joining the syndicate that all members agree to abide by these rules, as they may be amended at any time.
b. No amendment may be made to these rules except by 2/3 vote of the whole syndicate.