From the Copilot’s Seat
CLUB RENEWALS
AND INSURANCE
COVERAGE
By Randy Cameron, AMA Executive Vice President | flyrc@modelaircraft.org
As I write this, we have just entered the new year, and the bottom has fallen out of my thermometer!
I want to remind everyone that it is club renewal time. The club renewal period is governed by our insurance cycle that runs from April 1 through March 31 each year. If your club is not renewed by March 31, the club’s insurance expires. None of us want that to happen.
There are many benefits to being an AMA chartered club, and probably the most important to most of us is the liability insurance. This is not only limited to an accident caused by flying models. A club can also be sued for nonflying accidents that might occur at its flying field, meeting site, or a club event. Such accidents might be caused by a club member, spectator, or someone else while acting on behalf of the club and could arise from conditions of the premises or other nonflying activities.
For these reasons, liability coverage for AMA chartered clubs extends to claims that arise from model flying, as well as non-model flying accidents. Club officers are provided primary liability insurance coverage for the duties they perform associated with the club activities. The insurance industry calls this a “vicarious liability” for the acts of others or accidents caused by others.
It is important to note that AMA does not provide insurance coverage for club-owned equipment (e.g., storage sheds, lawn mowers, etc.) or directors and officers coverage (claims resulting from decisions regarding club policy, discrimination, environmental issues, etc.) Clubs should check with local insurance providers if they are interested in obtaining this type of coverage.
Most property owners want assurance that they are protected if they allow a chartered club to use their property as a flying site, so they will ask for an insurance certificate that will name the property owner as an “additional insured.” This coverage safeguards the owner if they are named in a claim because of an accident caused by an AMA member and/or a club. Clubs can obtain this coverage for the charter year. There is a processing fee of $85 for the certificate for the charter year coverage. The coverage provides up to $2,500,000 of primary liability insurance coverage to the flying site owner.
Additionally, if you are a new club officer, you should review your club bylaws, which should include what each officer’s position is responsible for. Clubs are required to have a set of bylaws on file with AMA. Your club’s bylaws should be in compliance with AMA’s minimum recommendations, and all club matters need to be handled in accordance with those bylaws.
If your club makes any revision to its bylaws, please forward an updated copy to AMA right away. If your club can’t locate its bylaws, I suggest that you contact AMA’s Member and Club Services department and request a copy of them. It is also a good idea to make sure that the bylaws on file with the AMA are current.
Please be safe and may all your landings be soft.
