Five years have elapsed since I was elected as  Chairman of the Board . The prospects of the Flying Club have changed a lot in five years. 

I have been wondering  if  there is something wrong with  the Club -  or is it  the system that sucks.

EASA has published important regulations during the first decade of the new century : especially the Part M . Fuel-Taxes have have been raised by EU. 

Expensive fuel has an effect on private flying only  because  SAR-flights will get the tax-money back in  return. However,  private flying at pilots own cost 

is very much needed to keep pilots flying skills current . EASA  Part-M means actually , that there will have to be new employees hired for the

G-organisation, and their  salaries must be payed by us - pilots. We in the club must find ways to get more income for the flying club 

to cover the  increase  in  expences.

Last but not the least: Our Landlord A.Ahlström Company  raised the rent of the Airfield from zero  to 25 000 euros!

There has been some excellent  achievements  also: We traded our plane to a better one. We were granted the Environmental Certificate  to 

operate the  Airfield. We also received 34% EU-funds for repairing our runway. The forest-fire guarding flights succeeded reasonably well last 

Summer . We negotiated a 90% reduction for the rent of the airfield for three years.

But - why is it so  that  I  personally must work extensively hard  within  the Club?  There must be ways to  improve the efficiency on how the Club 

is  managed !

1. Get out of the Chairman's job as fast as you can    -  A good idea -   but if only  could I find another candidate  for the job!

2. Share tasks with other members                                -  A good idea -  But where in Earth can I find a member  who would volunteer for a job

                                                                                                                         and get it properly done?  Wait - there are two members of the board

                                                                                                                        who never say no. But they are overloaded with work and near

                                                                                                                         exhaustion and you simply can't ask them.

3. Increase Education                                                      - A good idea -   but we have not been able to find any flight Instructor or  Chief- FI  in

                                                                                                                        three years. So we can't get any  training license for the club. Last October

                                                                                                                        we tried to educate club members on our own. This proved to be a big

                                                                                                                        error since some members decided that the event was only for drinking

                                                                                                                        and having  fun. Results were embarassing...

4. Increase big Events                                                      - A good idea -  but nobody will take part, unless there are some benefits  for themselves.

5. Increase volunteer working                                          - A good idea -  but nobody will do anything, unless you make a schedule for the tasks,

                                                                                                                        name members for the tasks and adjust the schedule for individual

                                                                                                                        members so that they can except the timing.

6. Increase Funds                                                             - A good idea -  but only direct donations to the club will do. No member of the club

                                                                                                                       seems to be willing to organize sales, shows or fly-inns to collect extra 

                                                                                                                        money for the club.

7. Increase member fees                                                 - A good idea -  but at this moment there are active pilots who actually fly only for free or not

                                                                                                                        at all . They are not willing to pay fair rents for their own flying.  Those members

                                                                                                                        who are not active but supportive, might draw some conclusions and

                                                                                                                       leave  the club if we would raise our member fees.

8. Decrease member fees                                               - A good idea -  but the club can be beneficial and tax-free  only if it doesn't give

                                                                                                                        its members any special benefits. Besides we cannot afford to decrease

                                                                                                                        our fees.

9. Gamble with investments                                       - Not a good idea! We simply cannot afford to loose any money with risky investments.

                                                                                                                       We will soon have an engine overhaul situation in hand and we must have

                                                                                                                       enough savings to go with it. There are couple of members who insist

                                                                                                                       in buying shares to get huge profits. But they are not personally ready

                                                                                                                       to cover the losses if things  go  wrong .  I myself see risk management

                                                                                                                       as a skill that we have to use both when flying and when running a club.

The thought that one could fly only for his own fun becomes more and more atractive to me . A pilot has learned to think with his or her own brain

and  make decisions alone . A pilot is not at his or her best when it comes to social activities . When there is some free flying to do, every pilot of 

the club will be present . But if there are  meetings , book-keeping or construction work  to do , all pilots have  vanished - maybe in the air.

Is it possible to develope a good flying club that can support all kinds of flying skills  and keep  its members happy?

I really don't know.

Muutettu: 08. joulukuuta 2009