Club dues

[Glenn Grigg]

OK now you hit a sensitive subject with me (a retiree who is definitely
feeling "living on a fixed income" this year). I thought the club was flush
with money, where did it all go? Maybe we were a little too generous with
our fund raising activities and should have retained more for club expenses.

I know that many of you want to make the club one of the best in the US but
when you are planning activities for the rest of us who were happy with the
club before our membership zoomed up, why are we now having to pay more?

If membership has dropped with the bad economy, how is raising dues going to
effect that. It will not increase and it may drop more than the 16 members
that would only keep the revenue stream constant. You need to look at simple
economic theory to understand that raising dues does not always bring in
more revenue.

Glenn Grigg

[Billy Hubbard]

Very well put Glenn I support what you said..Bill

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[Dave Langridge]

The club has not raised dues for a long time. It is only a proposal. We are
ALL feeling the pinch right now, but we cannot just ignore facts. We do very
little to raise money for the club over the course of the year, FFT is not a
CLUB fund raiser and should not be! Maybe we are guilty of just riding along
with our heads in the sand, ignoring what is happening, but so far we have
been lucky to NOT have a yearly increase in subscriptions...every other club
I belong to or have ever belonged to, has had that. $10 per year is not a
lot, even for those on a fixed income and I find it extremely disingenuous
for people to say that this is wrong for us as a club to do. It is a matter
of priorities as far as spending goes, both in club finances and in our own.
I place a premium on spending for my family and my hobbies are the FIRST
thing that get cut back when times are hard. We ALL have to make choices
according to our own circumstances, but you will NOT find a cheaper club to
belong to (other than Jordan Lake and they have their own problems of access
to their field) in this or any other area in the country I think. This is a
proposal, not a done deal. The club is NOT flush with money, but has a
reasonable balance. This does NOT mean we can ignore reality and do nothing!

My .02c worth.

Dave L

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Glenn Grigg [mailto:ggg...@nc.rr.com]
> Sent: Saturday, November 21, 2009 12:04 PM

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[Bill Zinno]

I agree with Glen. I don't feel a dues increase is justified. How can we give $50K in charitable donations the last 2 years, turnaround and say we now need more money from the membership? Are we being a little too charitable?

Bill Zinno

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[wb4...@teara.org]

At 06:54 PM 11/21/2009 -0500, you wrote:
>I agree with Glen. I don't feel a dues increase is justified. How can we
>give $50K in charitable donations the last 2 years, turnaround and say we
>now need more money from the membership? Are we being a little too
>charitable?
>Bill Zinno

I don't have a dog in this fight, either way. The FFT event is specifically
a fund raiser for FFT, not for the club. The money donated to FFT was raised
at FFT, not taken from the club dues and other club moneys. If you
completely removed FFT from the discussion, the financial situation would
still be the same.

We have a spring fly-in, the Big Bird event, and club dues that are where
the funds come from that are specifically for the club.

I certainly only remember some of the expense items this year, but did hear
a discussion about the club expenses and reasoning behind this at the
meeting. It's easy to play "armchair quaterback" and say what should or
should not be done without being aware of all of the expenses required to
make our field be the awesome flying site that it is.

What everyone needs to do, that has an interest in this topic, is come to
the meeting and hear both sides of the scenario and the reason for the
proposal. That's where the discussion will do some good, and where we always
need input from the general membership. Then, let's do what the majority
wants to do.

As best as I understand it from the discussion at the meeting, this year was
a bit unusual. The driveway to the field has been discussed and attempts
made to have the gravel and roadwork done for the last two years. This
suddenly happened in recent days when the opportunity prevailed, and was an
expense that was not planned but had been asked for repeatedly by the
general membership. There was a new underground electrical service installed
this year, as the old one would barely run the refrigerator and was
literally hot most of the time. I know of a rental of a rolling machine,
seed, and other stuff to do some maintenance in the spring. There was also a
new sign for the entrance built to replace the one that was in bad shape.
There were other expenses/repairs/maintenance items done this year that all
added to the scenario to take more money out of the kitty than usual. I'm
sure I'm not even close to covering it all, but this is another good example
of why ya'll should come to the meeting and hear the facts as opposed to
making a vote based on heresay, second hand facts, opinion, etc. This is
also why stuff like this isn't simply brought up and voted right on the
spot...to give everyone time to learn about it and come to the meeting to
handle it.

This was one year where RDRC actually pulled it's own weight... In recent
previous years, when the economy was better, there was quite a bit of money
spent by individuals to manage maintenance items at the field to the benefit
of the membership without the general RDRC funds being used.

By the way, Larry called me this evening and corrected me on the vote date
on this. There was initially a discussion to have a vote at the Christmas
party, but apparently there was an agreement that I missed in the minutes,
to talk about/vote on this at the January meeting.

So, come to the January meeting, hear the financial report and info about
the status of the treasury, hear the proposal, ask questions, add your
thoughts, and vote. This is the only way anyone can make an educated
statement on what should be done.

See ya'll at the January meeting!

Dave

[Jason Jarvis]

Dave saved me a lot of typing, as I think he weighed in very appropriately and along my same lines of thinking.

One thing I would like to add to.  Yes, we have given a huge amount to a wonderful charity over the last few years.  I want to make two points.  First, most of the money raised by Fly for Tots is from raffle ticket sales.  The raffle tickets are for chances to win items donated by wonderful companies in this hobby, who do so with the understanding that ALL of the proceeds from the event are donated to charity.  Therefore, that money is off limits beyond recovering our expenses.

Second, yes, every year we demonstrate that we as a club we have a tremendous ability to raise money.  I don't think there is any reason that we can't work on other fund raising activities through the year with the intention of supporting the club.  We shouldn't expect the donations that we get when the intent is for charity, but perhaps there are some options where we spend a little with the intent to raise a little more.  This of course means that some of us have to be willing to step up and do the work involved.

The great thing is that in this club everyone has a vote, and the majority rules.  There is no reason for us to be unhappy or bicker.  Our leaders have raised an issue, a motion has been put forward, now we all get to have our say.

Jason

[rcl...@aol.com]

Tell ya what Glenn.  As a fellow State worker, supporting TWO kids, One in college, one in braces and graduating high school( headed to college) I will be happy to pay the $10 difference ( 83 cents a month) in your dues for the 2010 membership, should it get voted in!

 

Maybe we were a little too generous with
our fund raising activities and should have retained more for club expenses.

 

Too generous with a charity?  Now that's a good one!

 Keep some of the money for us?  Well,,,,I guess we could tell folks,,,,,,,,, " Some of this money will go to our charity because we need some of it ourselves"   That would put us right inline with many of those television charities we hear about. Except they don't tell you SOME of the money actually goes to the charity they are asking money for. Just for the record, FFT does not cost RDRC anything! Well,,,,,  maybe I should re-think that. It does cost several dedicated and passionate members time and heart. To tell you the truth, it cost ME and others a lot of out of pocket expense that RDRC never see's. All those extra porta potties,,,,,,, donated,,,,,,,,,,  prizes,,,,,,donated,,,,,,,tents,,,,donated,,, cookers,,,,donated,,,,,,,,sound system,,,donated,,,,,parking spaces,,, provided,,,,,,,. And the list goes on.  RDRC does however pay the food cost up front. But EVERY DIME of that is replaced when the event takes place. Don't take my lousy word for it. Call the treasurer. Repairing our driveway ( to  which RDRC members put 95% of use to), sealing the runway, RDRC road sign and running an extra A/C outlet the the shed is NOT an FFT expense!

 Seriously,,, where do folks get the idea that FFT is running the club broke? Please,,,,,,,someone show me the figures that support FFT is killing us.

 

I know that many of you want to make the club one of the best in the US but
when you are planning activities for the rest of us who were happy with the
club before our membership zoomed up, why are we now having to pay more?

 

 If I remember correctly, we were flat broke a couple of years ago. Didn't know if we were going to make the rent or not. Now we have money in the bank, a secure flying site, great facilities,and we're recognized by both AMA and clubs across the nation as a role model club. Yep,,,,,,,,,,, that stinks!

What activity do you want us to provide to the " I wanna keep it small" group? Tell me,,,, I'll get an AMA sanction  for it and hold the activity. Seriously,,,,,,,,,,,   

Come on Glenn,,,,,,,,,, Do you really think we can keep dues at the same rate forever? RDRC has had the same dues for YEARS!  Even if we do raise them a measly $10, we'll still be one of the cheapest in the state.  I'm not pulling this out of my back pocket. Pick up the phone and call around. PLEASE!!!

I'm glad we/re not selling gas or insurance! 

 

If membership has dropped with the bad economy, how is raising dues going to
effect that. It will not increase and it may drop more than the 16 members
that would only keep the revenue stream constant. You need to look at simple
economic theory to understand that raising dues does not always bring in
more revenue.

 

 

Yes. membership has dropped, but not a lot. A good portion of the drop was associated with Associate Memberships. No doubt modelers are looking at ways to cut cost in the hobby. We did the same in our household. Guess what,,,,,we didn't re-new ANY of our associate memberships with other clubs. Uh Oooooooooooo! I just realized this potential dues increase hits me DOUBLE!!!  Guess I'll talk Jacqui into quitting the hobby! I'm not so sure the economy is the reason for the drop, but I'd really like to see the data that supports that. I do like facts.  ;) 

 You are right in saying raising dues isn't always the answer. So how do we raise revenues? Trust me,,, I'm all ears!  I'm not positive on this, but I don't think we want to cut out grass mowing, electricity, or recently voted in, trash pick up. Which by the way, has been working out great! Seems nobody in the club felt THEY should have to haul off the trash on a regular basis, so the cans just ran over with smashed airplanes, soda bottles etc. I hauled many bags off myself in years past. I'm sure you did as well?

 

 OK ok,,,,,,,I'm no math wizard for sure. But lets look at this. Operating cost are rising every year, but we need fewer members, paying the same  cost.  More going out,,,,same coming in.

 

OK now you hit a sensitive subject with me (a retiree who is definitely
feeling "living on a fixed income" this year).

 

  Glenn,,,quite honestly,,,everything we do hits a sensitive spot with you. Trust me,,,I can attest to this because you have complained to me about soooo many things. Especially fly-ins and playing low level music at events.

 

I thought the club was flush
with money, where did it all go?

 It's all in the bank. Thousands of it! We were just hoping to keep building on it, not use up what we have managed to save while holding these money suck'n fun fly's.

 

 

 

 

 

 

OK now you hit a sensitive subject with me (a retiree who is definitely 
feeling "living on a fixed income" this year).  I thought the club was flush 
with money, where did it all go?  Maybe we were a little too generous with 
our fund raising activities and should have retained more for club expenses.

I know that many of you want to make the club one of the best in the US but 
when you are planning activities for the rest of us who were happy with the 
club before our membership zoomed up, why are we now having to pay more?

If membership has dropped with the bad economy, how is raising dues going to 
effect that. It will not increase and it may drop more than the 16 members 
that would only keep the revenue stream constant. You need to look at simple 
economic theory to understand that raising dues does not always bring in 
more revenue.

Glenn Grigg 

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To post to this group, send email to RD...@googlegroups.com

[rcl...@aol.com]

  For the record,,,,,, We have donated $71,000 to VJC in the last 3 years.

 FFT cost RDRC nothing!  Take that fly-in out of our schedule. We loose SEVERAL members that joined RDRC because they wanted to be a part of FFT and RDRC, or they were introduced to RC because of FFT.

 Now we look at ALL the modelers that come to FFT and pour in the money, and all the modelers across the country that buy online tickets. They come to support FFT and support a CHARITY. If not for the charity, it would be an average fly-in. If not for it being a charity, there would be no $71,000.

 

So we drop FFT? Do you guys really think we'll be better off and have more money in the bank?

 One thing is for sure. We wont be taking money from the kids to fill OUR pockets.

[David Goughnour]

If we are soliciting opinions I’ll throw mine in.

 

The FFT is a wonderful event that improves the sport by significantly increasing interest and good will while donating lots of money to a very worthwhile charity. A classic win-win situation. Everyone that benefits from this club is indebted to the officers and volunteers that make this happen. To suggest we loot this event to pay for our hobby is kind of sad.

 

As for the dues increase, I think that the club has been very open for the last couple years about the financials. If you are not sure of the financial situation it is most likely because you have not taken the time to look. I was a bit surprised by the suggested increase because I think we are in as good a shape as we’ve been since I’ve been a member (only about 3 years) but part of being a good organization is anticipating expenses and planning accordingly so I tend to believe it is a good thing.

 

For those having issues with the increase maybe we make it optional for existing members (at least for a few years). The vast majority of us would pay it anyway. Or maybe if someone could not afford the increase they could volunteer to empty the trash once a week for a break in the dues. There are lots of ways to work this out.

 

Just my two cents…

Dave G.

[Austin Smith]

Really club members...$10 per year?  .83333 cents per month????  .02739 cents per day... 

Lot of bitching and moaning for this minimal amount to spend for a hobby in which we all enjoy. 

Ten less McDonald's Dollar  items a year...Hey, maybe I'll lose some weight by cutting down my annual burger allowance!?!?  :)

Austin Smith

---

From: David Goughnour <dgoug...@nc.rr.com>
To: rd...@googlegroups.com
Sent: Sun, November 22, 2009 9:42:18 AM
Subject: RE: [RDRC] Club dues

Bill Zinno

Visit our website at http://www.rd-rc.org/

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[wb4...@teara.org]

Good info and ideas, Dave. This sort of thing would be great info to toss
out at the Jan meeting, to see what the group wants to do. I've been in RDRC
since 1993, not as long as many, but I remember about 3 years ago when
Dustin Hedrick took over the treasury duties... We were flat broke at the
time, had no money in savings, didn't have a formal bank account, and
several of us literally had put our heads together to try and figure out how
we were going to pay the annual field lease that was due at that time. There
wasn't enough club money to pay it, let along anything else.

Since then, while the club was getting up on it's feet financially, there
have been many of us who have paid out of our pockets to help manage club
expenses without having to ask the treasury for money. I personally know
several members who spent a considerable amount of money that went unsaid by
the donors and was enjoyed by the general membership. We did it for the
benefit of the club, to help it grow to the point it could better support
itself, etc. We've gone from flat broke to having a lot of really nice
things...new fencing, new aircraft starting stations, new flight stations,
nice new tables in the shed to replace those broken down and rotten wooden
things we called tables, a nicely graveled access road that's over 2
football fields in length, quite a bit of field maintenance, replaced our
defunct electrical supply, installed a refrigerator for the membership and
have since later replaced it, have a professional lawn maintenance plan so
the membership doesn't have to schedule that (and those of us who remember,
know what cutting our own grass is like), etc. The list is pretty long, and
the kinds of things that a casual pilot who pops out to the field on
occasion for a little enjoyment, or someone who might not make it to the
meetings, might not be aware of.

As an example...East RC (my sons and I) paid about $1500 to have huge cracks
in the runway professionally repaired and have the runway sealed. There was
another large storage building, similar to the one we have now, that was on
the property and was falling down (I see it's still on the google satellite
image of our site). Discussion had been underway for at least 2 years to
have it torn down and removed, but it was never happening due to the
physical size of the job, equipment required, etc. East R/C paid about $400
to have it torn down, cleaned up, and disposed of. While the economy was
such that we could afford it, we donated several thousand $$ in items for
our own club fund raisers (spring fly-in and giant scale event, not counting
the FFT) to help the club raise some additional funds for itself. When the
72mhz issue arose at the field we sold our membership new radios at our
cost, and ate the freight, to help with a short term fix for that problem.
We pay the website domain name and hosting fees every year that rolls (I've
paid it non-stop since 1993). It cost us a lot of money that were useless
deductions for us (we already had more deductions than we could use), and
while we would have been much better off to have kept that money in our bank
account, we felt like it needed to be done and not at the expense of the
club...though most everyone in the club benefitted from it. Since then
economy fell in Sept '08, we've done well to keep the doors open, requiring
inventory reduction, longer periods between orders, etc...but we managed.
How quickly some forget. Some of the very people who have enjoyed our
generosity have thrown us under the bus by spreading rumors of us "going out
of business", chosen to order elsewhere to save a buck or get something a
little quicker, or generally talk smack about us not having what "we should"
in the store..but I digress, and that's a story for another time.

I digress... I tend to wander in my typing as I get older, hehehee. My point
was, we've put a lot of $$ into RDRC, and we're just one of many who have
done this. The membership has been enjoying many things at the field over
recent years that were not funded by the general membership or fund raisers.
I know for a fact, had it not been for the current financial management, the
club membership would have done well to pay the property lease, let alone
have a routinely serviced porta-potty to use the bathroom in or electricity
to charge electric aircraft.

This year, for the first time that I ever remember, the club has paid for
most everything that it has and has done. Someone made a comment about using
"good business judgement", this is exactly what has been done. Our property
lease is paid for 2010, and we have money in checking & savings. The
proposal arose from using this "good business judgement" to foresee that we
probably do need another $.83/month from everyone to do the things everyone
likes in 2010 and continue to grow our savings a little.

I've already received scathing emails (even though I said I don't have a dog
in this fight, either way) from a couple who are blasting me about them
being on a "fixed income" and not able to afford the change. All of us that
I know are on a "fixed income". The difference in my fixed income and those
who receive a retirment pension of some sort is where we've had to lay off
2/3rds of our staff, run on a shoestring, reduce inventory, work a lot more,
expend all of our personal & business savings to not become one of those 25
million small businesses going bankrupt I saw in the N&O this morning, cut
out most all fun stuff, etc...all on a "reduced income". To me, the fixed
income complaint, holds absolutely no water when we're talking about
$.83/month. I'll unscrew one lightbulb somewhere in the house to make up the
difference, if it get's that tight for me. But that's just me.

Like I said earlier, I don't care either way. If the club votes it in, I'll
pay it, I'm sure I can leave 1 coca-cola in the drink box/month to cover the
change. If the club votes to not do it, I'm OK with that too. If we agrees
make exceptions for those who can't afford it, that's cool. That's the
purpose of working it out at a meeting. What I do care about is when folks
mistakingly make a uneducated decision based on lack of knowledge of how
things are done, one side of the story, the rumor mill, etc. That's exactly
why the info was passed along by me as the Secretary (although I totally
missed the part about doing it at the Jan meeting, heheheh) so these items
can get brought up, and get people to come to the meeting and work it out.
It's just a facet of the business called RDRC that we all have to deal with
from time to time.

C'mon to the Jan meeting and let's all take care of this :-)

Dave

[ken2...@aol.com]

Look guys,

 

I have been reading everyone's comments ever since the issue of increasing dues started.  Some of you are complaining just to be heard.  I would like to know what has not had an increase in the last few years.  I lost my job to company restructuring.  My wife will loose her job this week because of a company buy out.  There is not one person out here that can tell me that an increase in a measly $10.00 a year is going to put them in the poor house.  I will be putting our house on the market because of our loss of jobs.  To me, $10.00 makes not a single difference in my situation. 

 

Honestly, if you are complaining about this small increase then maybe you shouldn't be in a hobby that only increases in cost instead of decreasing.  Fuel, materials, parts, etc all have increased. 

 

Some of you should be ashamed of using FFT as an reason.  Donations has nothing what so ever to do about club profits or expenses.  Shame on you.  If you can't afford 84 cents a month to fly at a great club as in RDRC then maybe you should go look for a cheaper club to join.  Good luck with that.

 

I'm done venting now.  I have to get back to trying to find a job.

 

Regards,

 

Ken Wade

[Dave Langridge]

No. FFT has always been 100% for the charity. That should NOT change.

 

Dave L

 

From: Bill Zinno [mailto:wcz...@gmail.com]
Sent: Saturday, November 21, 2009 6:55 PM
To: rd...@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: [RDRC] Club dues

 

I agree with Glen. I don't feel a dues increase is justified. How can we give $50K in charitable donations the last 2 years, turnaround and say we now need more money from the membership? Are we being a little too charitable?

[Manny Huysentruyt]

don't worry man some people have nothing better to do
thy can join somewhere els...give them a list of other clubs :)
manny

[Dave Langridge]

Well said, Larry.

                For the record…how many RDRC members actually SUPPORTED the charity?? Probably about the same as come to the CLUB money raising events….I think we had 20 registered pilots at FFT this year out of the 200 or so attendees….20 out of about 140!!! And of those 20 I think only about 5 actually flew…the rest were too busy WORKING to ensure the event ran smoothly, that the guests had all they needed to make their trips (some of them from far flung states), people who make the trip a part of their holiday schedule so that they can be part of something that is far greater than the sum of its parts! We have people from other clubs volunteering to help at the event when our own members seem to fade away into the woodwork when asked to step up. Even FOR an event to raise money for our club, such as the Spring fly-in, it is always the same faces seen setting up, breaking down and working during the event.

                $10 a year is not a great deal IF you really think about it…not even 5 cups of coffee…or few breakfast biscuits at McDonalds….half a gallon of fuel….two small propellers….members spend more on glue in a year to fix things that break!!  The whining about FFT just shows how self-centered people really are…do you REALLY begrudge those children a week of happiness? So sad if that is so…

 

                $10 per YEAR more is not a lot to ask for belonging to one of the best clubs in the land.

 

Dave L 

 

From: rcl...@aol.com [mailto:rcl...@aol.com]

Sent: Saturday, November 21, 2009 10:28 PM
To: rd...@googlegroups.com

[ken2...@aol.com]

With that being stated, let's put a lid on this.  We have an extremely fantastic club with some great club members.  Why don't we keep it this way.  We have a club that other clubs want to be like. 

 

Can someone spot me a $10.00 until I find a job?   Just kidding !!!

 

K Wade

-----Original Message-----
From: Dave Langridge <davela...@gmail.com>
To: rd...@googlegroups.com

Sent: Sun, Nov 22, 2009 1:30 pm
Subject: RE: [RDRC] Club dues

[Jason Jarvis]

For you buddy, any time....

---

From: ken2...@aol.com
Sent: Sunday, November 22, 2009 1:46 PM

To: rd...@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: [RDRC] Club dues

With that being stated, let's put a lid on this.  We have an extremely fantastic club with some great club members.  Why don't we keep it this way.  We have a club that other clubs want to be like. 

 

Can someone spot me a $10.00 until I find a job?   Just kidding !!!

 

K Wade

-----Original Message-----
From: Dave Langridge <davela...@gmail.com>
To: rd...@googlegroups.com
Sent: Sun, Nov 22, 2009 1:30 pm
Subject: RE: [RDRC] Club dues

[The entire original message is not included]

[Bob Richards]

I agree, Dave.   When was the last time dues were raised? If it has been more than 10 years, is an adjustment due to inflation not to be expected? Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying the increase is needed, just that it should not be a surprise if it is.   I've belonged to model airplane clubs for over 35 years, and this is debate comes up every time a dues increase is proposed. No one likes an increase in price for anything, but given the amount of money that most of us spend on the hobby, $10 is not much. It is the entry fee for the FFT. (How many club members did NOT participate?) It is less than a gallon of glow fuel. It is one less trip to McDonalds.   At the last couple of meetings, there were discussions about moving the shed and building a larger shelter. Everyone seemed to be in favor of that, even though there were different ideas about just what kind of shelter should be built. :-)  Then the subject of how much it was going to cost, and talk of raising dues, and the dissent started.   We could save a lot of money by cutting the grass ourselves. We could save money by not building a new shelter. We could have saved money by not putting gravel on the entrance road ($2400).   I'm in favor of raising the dues. But, lets do show the expenditures for the past year, show a proposed budget for next year along with the expected expenditures, talk about the need for improvements, then see where we stand on a need for a dues increase.   Bob R.

[Bob Richards]

--- On Sun, 11/22/09, rcl...@aol.com <rcl...@aol.com> wrote: To tell you the truth, it cost ME and others a lot of out of pocket expense that RDRC never see's. All those extra porta potties,,,,,,, donated,,,,,,,,,,  prizes,,,,,,donated,,,,,,,tents,,,,donated,,, cookers,,,,donated,,,,,,,,sound system,,,donated,,,,,parking spaces,,, provided,,,,,,,. And the list goes on.

Don't forget the dumpster expenses, $320 donated   The FFT is one of the most important things I have ever had the honor of being involved with.  I'm extremely proud that our club is involved with this, and I would be VERY MUCH AGAINST taking any profit from it. This event has garnered national attention as it has become THE LARGEST charity fly-in in the nation.   My 2CW.   Bob R.

[Kenneth Kiesler]

OK, well since everyone else chimed in I guess I will put my 2 cents
in.

First off I think the club is great, I have had more fun with this
club since i move to NC over 4 years ago, and it just keeps getting
better, fl;ying new plane, helicopters and hanging out with some of
the best people I have meet in a long time.

As for FFT. I have seen it grow over the past few years and I think it
is one of the best things I have ever seen, I love being apart of the
club that puts on a flyin that people I meet in NY and NJ know about
and have been to. I think a lot of people keep throwing that in since
it is a big part of our club now. The way I understand it from talking
to people at the field this past weekend is that FFT is completely
self sufficient, such as all operating expenses are covered before we
announce the donation, now as I read the comment I see that there are
members that are digging in to their own pockets to pay for things for
the event, and that is a wonderful thing that we have member that are
willing and able to do this and I am sure that are ecstatic to do it
and help out a great charity, and I just want to say you are
appreciated with all your help.

Honestly the $10 is nothing, like it has been said it is not going to
break the bank, and I would pay an extra $20 to be in the club.
I think the biggest problem most people are having is that there has
been no justification, no proof of why we are needing the increase.
The way it has come across so far is that we need to raise the dues
since we haven't raised then in years, and I think that is what is so
unsettling for most people.

Also form the last meeting the treasure stated he will have the end of
the year statement ready for the January meeting so we all can see
what has been brought in and what has been paid out and what he have
left over. I would also hope that since we are talking about a
increase in due that we will also be able to see a budget for the next
year, since we know what our average operating expenses are and even
if we loss 10% of the membership next year we still can project what
our income will be. If this is provided I am sure that people will
have a better understanding on the proposal for the increase,
including myself.

Again this is a great club to be apart of and I am sure we all can get
through this and start having some fun again.

Ken K



On Nov 22, 5:24 pm, Bob Richards <b...@toprudder.com> wrote:

[Bill D'Epagnier]

It was a little on the cool side, but calm winds made it a great day.  There only five pilots at the field and they ALL flew electrics- the field was strangely quiet!  Thanks to Justin for giving me some tips on my heli flying and to Pat for helping to get the Beaver flying again.  Happy Thanksgiving to all.

 

Bill D'Epagnier

[rcl...@aol.com]

Yeah,,,,,, I was watching it ALL on the RDRC TV show.  FROM WORK!!!!   ;(

 

Happy Thanksgiving  Everyone!  ;)

[Patrick Taggart]

Hey, Larry,   If all yer doin' at work is watching RDRC-TV, you're not doing them any good,  so just come on out and fly.....!!!!  :-)   Great Thanksgiving to you, too... --- On Wed, 11/25/09, rcl...@aol.com <rcl...@aol.com> wrote:

[Jeff Morgan]

I saw you guys...I'm so jealous!  I had a 1:00pm meeting and wanted to be out there with you guys.  Oh well, maybe next time!
 
 

---

From: bi...@nc.rr.com
To: rd...@googlegroups.com

Subject: [RDRC] Great Day At the Field!

Date: Wed, 25 Nov 2009 16:51:42 -0500

It was a little on the cool side, but calm winds made it a great day.  There only five pilots at the field and they ALL flew electrics- the field was strangely quiet!  Thanks to Justin for giving me some tips on my heli flying and to Pat for helping to get the Beaver flying again.  Happy Thanksgiving to all.

 

Bill D'Epagnier

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