[heavypedal]

To all of you RC fliers out there in the Greater Vancouver area, the RCFCBC is accepting new members at this time. We are one of the only Open, Non-Profit Society Clubs in the Vancouver area with an open membership, no waiting list and best of all, one of the only teaching clubs left in the area.

Our new field is up and operational on the western outskirts of the City of Mission and in time will be one of the finest sites in BC. The sun is to your back so there is no chance of looking up into the sun and losing your plane. We have a large crew of instructors and fully MAAC sanctioned training program for all the newbies to the hobby...save yourself some money and frustration and learn to fly without numerous crashes and added expense.

For more information check out www.rcfcbc.com and select the "Join Us" page. We hope to see you there!

[Guest]

and what do i get for the $300 to join?

[heavypedal]

First off, you get a 6 month reprieve via post dated cheque to pay the $100 initiation fee
- 400' X 45' foot flat grass runway, brand new, MAAC sanctioned field
- sun to your back
- access to the flying field at 6 am for electrics and 9 am for internal combustion engines, fly until dusk.
- 7 club newsletters and club meetings a year
- the wealth of knowledge of some of the most experienced RC modellers in the lower mainland
- great friendships
- a safe flying environment
- full MAAC sanctioned training program taught via buddy box with a qualified instructor if you are a newbie
- no waiting list
- cheap gas in mission
- close to numerous restaurants, snack shops, fast food and Tim Hortons!
- onsite toilet facilites...had to save that one for last!

[dean2287]

Good luck with your membership drive. It looks like a nice field and a good location. Membership fees have been creeping up in a lot of places, but I think in this day and age it's just a reflection of the costs involved. $200 a year really isn't very much for any kind of club, especially one that has to maintain a field and clubhouse.

[Hughes500E]

One idea to help stimulate involvement, you could offer a pro rate (ONCE) to any new member for say 30 days or 3 months. This would give them a chance to see exactly what an organized club has to offer.

I know I would pay and help support such an effort, best to you!

[heavypedal]

Originally Posted by dean2287

Good luck with your membership drive. It looks like a nice field and a good location. Membership fees have been creeping up in a lot of places, but I think in this day and age it's just a reflection of the costs involved. $200 a year really isn't very much for any kind of club, especially one that has to maintain a field and clubhouse.

Dean you are correct the cost to maintain a field is creeping up. We dont have a clubhouse to maintain but have a grass runway that needs to be cut and we will have to rely on the membership to form a maintenance committee. It is not a matter of cost in the Vancouver area, it is a matter of the fact that the RCFCBC is one of the only open membership clubs around. Most clubs are "closed memberships" or are "already full" or are "by invitation only" so the options are somewhat limited. What scares me the most is when I see a father and son who just bought a small trainer flying at a school yard, crash it and then decide the hobby is not for them cause they cant fix the trainer or have a limited budget. Joining a club such as ours offers far more than just a place to fly as we a training field as well so people can learn how to fly while reducing the risk of crashing their plane.

Originally Posted by Hughes500E

One idea to help stimulate involvement, you could offer a pro rate (ONCE) to any new member for say 30 days or 3 months. This would give them a chance to see exactly what an organized club has to offer.

I know I would pay and help support such an effort, best to you!

Hughes500E, thank you for the suggestion, I will present that to our executive and see what is said. We are driving towards increasing our membership and are looking for new ideas to get folks involved. My only concern with your idea is the time of year...with our current weather there may not be enough people around for a new member to get a sense of whether they want to be involved or not. I will say this however, we had two new people show up at our last club meeting and they got the sense they wanted to be involved and joined immediately after the meeting. Thanks again for the idea, we will see what happens, stay tuned!

[Pauld]

Brad,

Something important to mention:

Vitually every club in the lower mainland has some form of airspace restrictions whereas this field has one of the largest flyover areas I know of.

Mission has the mountian, Coquitlam has the trees, Ridge has the horse pen, and with the exception of Coquitlam, they're all closed memberships.

Of course, many may feel it's o.k to just fly in a field wherever they want but a club does have benefits beyond just a place to fly. All of my good friendships have come from meeting people thru a flying club.

A couple hundred bucks each year to have a facility like this to fly at is cheap to me. Check my sig, I'm a member of everything listed there and yet I still chose to renew my membership with RCFCBC.

PaulD