The following provisions have been established for membership in Valley Flyers:

Membership Classes

• Student Member
  Student membership may be granted an individual upon payment of an initiation fee of $750.00 and approval by the board of directors. Student members shall pay, in advance, monthly dues of $54.00. In addition, a minimum of 1 hour of flight time will be charged per month at the lowest hourly rate. If the student has not secured a private pilot rating within 18 months, the board may extend the membership, but, if an extension is not granted, the student member shall forfeit all membership rights and privileges. Upon receiving the private pilot license, membership will be converted to Full Member status.
• Full Member
  Full membership will be granted to an individual upon payment of an initiation fee of $750.00 and approval by the board of directors. Full members shall pay, in advance, monthly dues of $54.00. In addition, a minimum of 1 hour of flying time will be charged per month at the lowest hourly rate. Full members must be rated fixed-wing pilots and shall have all the privileges of membership.
• Family Member
  A limit of one family membership will be granted to a Valley Flyers member upon the approval of the board of directors. There is no initiation fee. The family member shall pay, in advance, monthly dues of $54.00. In addition, a minimum of 1 hour of flying time will be charged per month at the lowest hourly rate. A family member shall have all the privileges of membership, student or full, as applicable.
• Support-Services Member
  From time to time the Board of Valley Flyers may identify certain appropriately-licensed professionals whose services are essential to the safe operation of the aircraft owned and/or operated by the corporation. In such instances, Valley Flyers may extend membership to these professionals as a Support-Services Member under the following terms. Support-Services members will not be charged an initiation fee for joining the corporation, nor will they be charged either routine monthly dues or flight time when such time is directly related to services provided to the corporation. In any month where a Support Services Member elects to reserve and use corporation assets for personal use, a monthly dues charge will be incurred, and flight time will be charged at the appropriate rate for the aircraft being used.
• Air Traffic Control Member
  Valley Flyers recognizes the invaluable services that our air traffic control system provides to club members, and as such will extend this class of membership to any air traffic controller employed by/in the tower located at Salem’s McNairy Field (SLE) provided that the individual is either a licensed pilot or student pilot in good standing with the FAA. The initiation fee shall be waived for all Air Traffic Control Members, but they shall be responsible for monthly dues and minimum flight times as described under “Full Member” in these flight rules.

Reservations

1. All reservations are handled by Flight Circle (www.flightcircle.com). All flights must be posted online before take-off. Sign out must show destination of flight (or “local flight” for flights in the Salem area, without landings elsewhere), take-off and return times, and contact number at destination if applicable.
2. Per Club Bylaws, Article VI, any club member who is delinquent may not use or reserve club aircraft until the account is paid in full. All aircraft use scheduled by the delinquent member will be erased at the time of delinquency, and the aircraft will be considered available for use by other members.
3. If the member has been delinquent in payment of their bill within the previous twelve months and they are scheduling a trip of 8 days or more, or a trip with an expected total flight time of 9 hours or more, they will be required to make a deposit with the club treasurer of two-thirds (66.7%) of the expected flight charges a minimum of five banking days prior to departure.
4. If an aircraft is to be used on two or more occasions on any one day, each reservation must be logged separately.
5. If the aircraft is not taken on a scheduled flight, the member must delete their reservation from Flight Circle.
6. If a reserved airplane is not taken with 30 minutes after sign-up time, the airplane is free for use by another club member.
7. A minimum flight time of 1 hour per day will be charged for flights when the plane is gone for more than 24 hours.
8. No person shall schedule the plane for more than 14 consecutive days including more than two weekends without the approval of the Board of Directors. Minimum charge is 2 (two) hours per day after the seventh day.
9. If weather should force you to leave the airplane tied down at another airport call the Chief Pilot.
10. There will be at least one set of keys for each aircraft, and those keys will be locked up and dispensed by, or under the direction of, Valley Flyers management prior to each flight.

Flying Rules

1. Use of the aircraft must be in strict compliance with FARS, state and local regulations.
2. Members must operate the aircraft in compliance with any limitations placed upon them by the Board of Directors or the Chief Pilot.
3. Except as necessary to meet an emergency, or by prior authorization from the Board of Directors, landings are permitted only at established airports. Established airports are those listed on current sectional charts and not labeled as hazardous. No landings (except in an emergency or by prior authorization from the Board of Directors) are permitted for club airplanes at airports with warnings, dirt or gravel strips, forest service strips, or unmaintained strips.
4. Flight Following shall be obtained or a flight plan shall be filed for flights operating outside of the Willamette Valley at night, or for flights with substantial time over remote terrain.
5. No smoking is permitted in club aircraft.
6. A checklist shall be used for preflight, flight, landing and shutdown of club aircraft.
7. Prior to each flight, the pilot shall make a complete aircraft ground check according to the owner’s manual and checklist. He or she shall not take off until satisfied that all equipment is functioning properly and that the aircraft is completely airworthy.
8. The pilot shall obtain weather reports and forecasts, relevant NOTAMs, and relevant TFRs immediately before making a flight out of the local area.
9. The pilot shall fly only within the boundaries of the United States and Canada. Flights outside of the contiguous United States require approval from the Board of Directors.

Currency

1. All pilots must meet FAA currency and rating requirements for the type of flight intended.
2. Any flights requiring or utilizing the supervision of an instructor must be conducted with a club authorized instructor.
3. Before flying any club aircraft each member shall have flown at least once in the preceding twelve calendar months with an approved flight instructor for the purposes of an annual club flight review. This annual club flight review shall be conducted in the most complex plane in which the member desires to exercise pilot in command privileges. Another aircraft may be used at the discretion of the Board of Directors or Chief Pilot. A member’s log book must bear an entry by the instructor that the member is competent to act as pilot in command of the aircraft flown.
4. Per requirements and by definition imposed by club insurance, a pilot is considered “inactive” if (s)he has not acted as pilot in command of an aircraft for a period of 90 days and has not completed three landings in the same category and class of aircraft. To regain “active” status, a currency flight with a club approved instructor must be completed in the most complex airplane in which the member intends to have authorization to act as Pilot in Command. Another aircraft may be used at the discretion of the Board of Directors or Chief Pilot.
5. Each new club member will be required to have a check out by an approved instructor in each aircraft with an appropriate logbook endorsement stating that the member is qualified to act as PIC of that airplane. Checkouts may apply to more than one aircraft at the discretion of the Board of Directors, Chief Pilot, or authorized instructor.
6. A member may be required to submit to a club flight review with an approved flight instructor any time it is deemed necessary by the Board of Directors or Chief Pilot.

Page last updated: 08/10/2021