The purpose of this document is to provide a summary of information needed to be a responsible member of The Flying Particles and for the club to operate smoothly. This document, along with the Bylaws and Flight Regulations, are the guiding documents of the club. As a new member you should have received a copy of both

Lock Combinations: The lock combinations to the hangers, aircraft throttle locks, and the line lockers are all the same and appear on your bill as long as your account is in good standing and your flight check is current. If the combination does not appear on your bill, under club rules you are not permitted to fly club aircraft. If you do not understand the reason, please contact the Treasurer.

Insurance: The club has "hull" insurance on all of our aircraft which covers damage to the aircraft "hulls". The members deductible is $500 for accidents in motion, $100 not in motion (defined as engine not running). In the event of aircraft damage that is covered by our insurance, you are responsible for the members deductible amount. We also carry liability insurance in the amount of $1,000,000 per incident with $250,000/person sub-limit. Our insurance policy is valid in the mainland US, Canada and Mexico (note special requirement for Mexico below). Our coverage does not extend to flights to Alaska. You are indemnified to fly FPI airplanes only if you are in compliance with all applicable FAR's, Club Bylaws, Flight Regulations, and any additional requirements imposed by the insurance company. In the event of any accident, you should immediately contact the Club President or another Club Officer.

Billing: Our billing cycle is from the 16th of one month to the 15th of the next. Your bill and a copy of the newsletter will be mailed about the 1st of each month. Payments are due by the 15th of the next month. Large bills can be paid over a period of time if arrangements are made in advance.

If you find an error on your bill related to a flight, you should contact the VP for Scheduling. The Treasurer does not have access to the aircraft flight logs or reservation books and cannot correct your bill without first receiving an OK from the VP for Scheduling.

Initial Checkout: Before you can fly any club airplanes, you must have an appropriate checkout by a club CFI. You are responsible for contacting a CFI to arrange for the necessary checkouts. All club CFI's work independently and set their own rates. To have access to a particular model of aircraft, you must have a checkout in that model. If you have many hours of experience in similar aircraft, then at the discretion of the Flight Safety Officer and your CFI, a checkout in the most advanced model may suffice for the other aircraft as well. However, we do require at least one checkout in a high wing aircraft for access to the appropriate models, and a checkout in a low wing aircraft for access to it. High and low wing checkouts may not be substituted for one another. Note there are minimum experience requirements for some of the aircraft. The details can be found in appendix A of the Flight Regulations.

Check Flights: At least once every two years you must have a checkout in a light airplane. If you have less than 400 hours of PIC time, checkouts are required annually. You may fly only those club airplanes that are of equal or lesser complexity to the type in which you took your most recent annual checkout. The checkout is not a pass/fail test, but an opportunity to refresh or strengthen your flying skills. This can be combined with a FAA flight check and/or an instrument competency check, and can also be done in conjunction with the FAA Wings program.

Aircraft Usage: The Cessna 152 is intended to be used primarily for training students. This is the reason behind several of the reservation limitations in the Flight Regulations. Regular members are encouraged to use the other aircraft.

Aircraft Reservations: Reservations to use club aircraft are made on-line or by calling our reservation system at 800-683-8055 or 408-927-4870. If a maintenance problem comes up that affects your reservation, we will try to contact you at the number you left. If you are making a reservation for a cross country flight, please note where you are going and give an estimate of the flight time. This is helpful in scheduling maintenance. Never fly an aircraft without a reservation.

Make reasonable reservations for your flights to maximize aircraft usage:
Don't make a 4 hour reservation for a 1 hour local flight.
Avoid reservation that cover morning and afternoon usage(10am - 2pm) unless necessary.. Increased usage means lower cost...

If you are making a reservation that you are particularly dependent on, its a good idea to recheck the reservation.

Self Policing: If you find an aircraft has been left unfueled or improperly secured, we suggest you call the person who last flew the aircraft. They may have had good reason for doing what they did, or may have made an honest mistake. If a particular member repeatedly fails to fulfill his/her responsibilities, or there is a serious problem, or you just want to complain at someone, please call a club officer to report the situation. It is important for the Executive Board to know about these things so they can get corrected.

Remember, as a club member, you are an Owner of the airplanes you fly. Take care of them accordingly. Maintenance and repair of the aircraft is, by far, our largest expense. Wear and tear on the aircraft are paid for by you, the club member, in the form of higher usage rates. Proper use and care, using proper leaning techniques, and exercising good judgment keeps your flying costs down. Above all, fly safely.

Aircraft Status: If time needed for maintenance or repair work on an airplane conflicts with a reservation of yours, you should receive a call from the VP for Maintenance or Scheduling. If at any time you want to know the availability of an aircraft, check the reservation system first, then the VP for Maintenance, then the VP for Scheduling.

If an airplane you have reserved is not available at its usual parking place at the beginning of your reserved time, check the reservation system to verify your reservation time. If that checks out, check for a reservation right before yours. If so, the member may be having a problem returning on time, or may be over-running his/her reservation. Report the incident to the VP for Scheduling.

If you find an airplane "Grounded", do not touch anything, do not attempt to diagnose the problem, do not attempt to work around the problem, do not attempt to repair the aircraft! There have been some very unfortunate, and expensive, incidents where damage has been done to grounded aircraft by well-meaning members under these circumstances.

Squawks and Maintenance Problems: During pre-flighting, check the squawk sheet in the logbook. It may contain important information relating to the aircraft airworthiness or other limitations that may affect your flight. If you find a problem, it is your responsibility to legibly write a detailed description in the squawk log and contact the maintenance VP about the problem. If you find a problem, that in your judgment makes the aircraft unairworthy, you are to put the "grounded" sign (located in the side or seatback pocket) in the window so it is visible. Call the VP for Maintenance and notify him/her that the aircraft is grounded.

Flights outside of the US: Flights outside of the United States require a letter of permission from the Executive Board. This is required by the Customs Service since Flying Particles is the registered owner of the aircraft, not you. Without this letter you will not be able to establish your right to use Flying Particles aircraft and may be detained. Mexican regulations also require that all aircraft operated in Mexico be insured by a Mexican insurance company. This is your responsibility.

Returning Aircraft: You are responsible for refueling and returning your aircraft to its normal parking place on the field by the end of your reservation. If you know your return to Livermore is going to be delayed, extend your reservation in the reservation system. If it cannot be extended, get the name and telephone number of the pilot who has it reserved after you and call them. If you return before the end of your reservation, cancel the remainder of your reservation so the airplane is available for other pilots to use.

Securing Aircraft: When securing an aircraft at the end of a flight, you are to do the following: Log your name, final tach (or Hobbs) time, squawks, fuel and oil in the log book. Write legibly. Clean the aircraft (windshield, leading edges, interior, etc). Double check instrument panel switches off, especially the Master Switch, Put in the window shades, control and throttle locks, cowl plugs, lock the doors, and tie down the aircraft. Doors and throttles of hangered aircraft should be locked.

Oil: Be aware of "normal" oil levels for the aircraft. DO NOT overfill the engine. Excess oil is deposited on the belly, is of little use to the engine, and increases cost. If your not sure what "normal" is check with the aircraft chief or an officer. For details and extended flights see the POH.

You can find oil for the airplanes in the aircraft baggage compartment, the line lockers, or hanger 11. A quart is usually kept in each airplane. If you use the quart in the airplane, it is your obligation to replace it from the line locker or hanger 11. Put empty oil cans in the garbage, not the line locker or airplanes! When you add oil, please make an entry in the aircraft log. This allows us to monitor oil consumption.

Oxygen: The club owns a portable oxygen system. It is maintained by ???. Reservations can be made on the reservation system to use it. No fee is involved for use of the oxygen system, but it should be refilled after use.

Fuel: Your aircraft should be refueled after flight (unless other instructions have been left in the logbook). Self-service fuel is available at the Livermore fuel island 24 hours a day. The cost of this fuel is about 10 cents a gallon less than the full-service fuel. We require you to use the self-service fuel when availible as it is a significant savings for the club. You can find windshield cleaner and rags at the fuel island.

If you need to use full-service fuel, it is paid for by telling the attendant that the aircraft belongs to Flying Particles. The attendant will charge the fuel to a credit card kept on file in the airport office. If the fuel island is closed when you return, it is your responsibility to call the airport the next morning (373-5280) and ask them to fuel the aircraft. They have access to the hangers.

When away from Livermore use the credit cards in the logbook for fuel and oil only. Do not charge landing, tie down, pre-heat, and the like to these cards. These expenses are your responsibility. If you are asked for an address when using the club credit cards, give the Club's P.O. Box address, not your home or other address - giving your home address can lead to very messy billing problems. If you have to pay for fuel or oil out of your own pocket, the club will credit your account upon presentation of a receipt. Be sure your name, the aircraft tail number, gallons purchased, date and dollar amount are on the receipt. Please mail fuel receipts to the club post office box.