ARTICLE 1- NAME

The name of this club shall be the Suburban Aeroclub of Chicago, Inc.

ARTICLE 2- PURPOSE

Section 1. The purpose of this club shall be to promote the building and flying of model aircraft in the South Suburban area of Metropolitan Chicago and to aid, insofar as possible, the national program of the AMA and other AMA activities, continuing to seek advancement in radio control equipment, model design, construction techniques, and the improvement of performance in all categories of radio control model aircraft.

Section 2. All special or local enterprises of the Suburban Aeroclub of Chicago, Inc. shall conform to the policies of the Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA) and to the regulations of that organization governing model aircraft activities.

ARTICLE 3- MEMBERSHIP

Section 1 Membership in the Suburban Aeroclub of Chicago, Inc. shall be open to all persons, regardless of race, creed, national origin, or sex. When the word he, referring to the male - gender, is used in this Constitution and By-Laws , it shall also refer to, and include-, she, the female gender.

Section 2. Members MUST bold a current Academy of Model Aeronautics license and, if required by the Federal Communication Commission, a valid FCC license, amateur or technician license, and other such requirements as outlined in the organization by-laws.

Section 3. A member in good standing shall be a paid up member possessing a Current Academy of Model Aeronautics license and, if required, an FCC license.

ARTICLE 1- OFFICERS & BOARD of DIRECTORS

The officers and board of the Suburban Aeroclub of Chicago, Inc shall be:

A. President

B. Vice-President

C. Secretary

D. Treasurer

E. Safety Officer

ARTICLE 2- DUTIES

A. President: The President shall preside at all meetings of the club, and shall carry out the policies of the club as established by the Board of Directors, and shall act as Spokesman for the club in all matters pertaining to the club.

B. Vice President: The Vice President shall preside at all meetings of the club in the absence of the President, and in the event of The inability of the President to perform his duties for any period of time, the Vice President shall act in his place.

C. Secretary: The Secretary shall keep a record of all meetings and attend to all normal club correspondence and the notification to all members of the regular business affairs and meetings of the club. The Secretary shall be the custodian of all club records.

D. Treasurer: The Treasurer shall keep a record of all monies due, received and disbursed by the club. He shall also attend to all financial matters, including payment for services or goods purchased by the club. Purchase of goods and payment of bills must be approved by the Board of Directors. A monthly financial statement must be presented to the membership. All club funds must be kept in a bank account. and all bills must be paid by check. Checks shall be validated only by the signature of the club President or the club Treasurer.

E. Safety Officer: Will keep records of accidents and incidents involving club activities, make regular safety reports to the club, and as appropriate, recommend changes in club rules and procedures to the enhance the safety of members and guests.

F. Board of Directors: The Board of Directors shall act on all matters of general club policy.

ARTICLE 3- TERM of OFFICE

All officers of the Suburban Aeroclub of Chicago, Inc. shall serve for a period of one year. The terms of office of the President and Secretary shall begin annually on January 1, and the term of office of the Vice President, Treasurer and Safety Officer shall begin annually on July 1.

ARTICLE 4- NOMINATIONS and ELECTIONS

Section 1: The nominations for the office of President and Secretary shall be made annually at the November meeting and the nominations for the office of Vice President, Treasurer and Safety Officer shall be made annually at the May meeting. Nominations may be made by a committee appointed by the President for this purpose and by nominations from the floor. In the event a nominating committee is not appointed, then all nominations may be made from the floor,

Section 2: The election for the offices of President and Secretary shall take place annually during the December meeting and the election for the offices of Vice President, Treasurer and Safety Officer shall take place annually during The June meeting.

Section 3: Upon the assumption of office by the new President, the retiring President shall automatically become a member of the Board of Directors, filling the fifth position on the Board. In the event the President shall be reelected, the fifth position of the Board of Directors shall continue to be filled by the member currently in that office, subject to ratification by a majority vote of the members.

Section 4: Election of officers shall be by regular ballot, or absentee ballot, provided for that purpose. Election shall be by majority vote of the membership present at the election meeting plus the valid absentee ballots delivered to the Secretary prior to the completion of voting. Absentee ballots must be signed. The Board of Directors shall determine the ballot requirements. In the event of a tie vote, a runoff election for the office involved shall be held as the first order of business at the following club meeting with assumption of office taking place following the counting of ballots and announcement of results.

ARTICLE 5- VACANCIES

A vacancy in office shall be filled by appointment of the Board of Directors, and appointees shall serve out the term of office

ARTICLE 6- REMOVAL of OFFICERS, BOARD MEMBERS or MEMBERS

A call for the removal of an officer or board member from office, or a member from membership, may be made at a regular meeting. If seconded and carried by a two-thirds vote of the members present the call for removal will be presented to the membership at the next regular meeting for vote by the membership and if carried by 2/3 of members present, the removal will be immediate.

ARTICLE 7- MEETINGS

Section 1. Regular meetings shall be held monthly. A notice giving date, time and place of the next meeting shall be placed prominently in The Dope Can.

Section 2. Board of Directors meetings shall be held monthly and attendance by club members is encouraged.

Section 3. Meetings shall be conducted in accordance with the latest edition of Roberts Rules of Order.

ARTICLE 8 - REGULAR BUSINESS

Section 1. All regular business affairs, solicitations or similar enterprises conducted for the club shall be directed by the Board of Directors.

Section 2. At any club meeting, a decision must be passed by 51% of the members present. At any Board of Directors meeting a quorum shall be four-fifths of the Board personnel.

ARTICLE 9- MEMBERSHIP REQUIREMENTS

Section 1. There are four grades of membership, as follows:

A. Regular grade, for those members 19 through 65 years of age.

C. Junior grade, for those members who have not yet reached their 19th birthday

D. Honorary Life grade, for those persons inducted into Life Membership by vote of the membership and then only upon a two-thirds majority vote of the entire membership. Candidates for Honorary Life membership shall be nominated by a club member in good standing. Nomination for Honorary Life Membership shall be for exceptional service to the Suburban Aeroclub of Chicago, Inc. or the sport of model aviation.

Section 2. Candidates for membership shall fulfill the following requirements before being considered for membership.

Section 3. Acceptance to club membership shall be automatic after completion of the above membership requirements and payment of dues in the absence of any formal objection brought to the attention of the Board of Directors The Board will have sole discretion in the disposition of any such objection.

Section 4. Those members letting their dues fall in arrears or not having a current AMA membership or required FCC license shall be dropped from the club.

Section 5. Those members leaving the club under the provisions of Article 9, Section 4, must reapply for membership and shall not be considered new applicants.

Section 6. Members shall be responsible for the safe operation of their aircraft in accordance with SAC Safety Rules.

ARTICLE 10- DUES and FEES

Annual Membership Dues shall be as follows:

Section 1. Annual Open Membership dues: $40.00 due at the November meeting.

Section 2. Annual Senior Membership dues: $40.00 due at the November meeting.

Section 3. Annual Junior Membership dues: $10.00 due at The November meeting.

Section 4, Honorary Life Membership: There shall he no annual dues for those persons inducted into Honorary Life Membership.

Section 5. Board of Directors Members: There shall be no annual dues for club officers and board members.

Section 6. Dope Can Editor: There shall be no annual dues for the Dope Can Editor or an assistant to the editor.

Section 7. Special Assessments: No special assessment shall be levied upon the club membership at any time, except by vote of the membership, and then only upon two-thirds majority vote of the entire membership. Notification shall be mailed at least fourteen (14) days in advance of any proposed vote for any special assessment, so that all members shall have full knowledge of any assessments to be considered.

ARTICLE 11- SPECIAL FUNDS & DONATIONS

The Treasurer of the club is authorized to receive contributions or specially obtained funds from any individual, member, or institution, to be applied to the operation of the club.

ARTICLE 12- COMMITTEES

Section 1. Standing Committees of the club shall be: Contest, Field, Program, Banquet, Fun Fly. Members of the committees shall be appointed by the President.

Section 2. Special committees may be created and their duties defined only by the President and he shall appoint the members of said committees.

A. monthly newsletter shall be published by the Suburban Aeroclub of Chicago, Inc. The name of the newsletter shall be 'The Dope Can' . The contents of 'The Dope Can' shall include, but not be limited to, reports of club meetings, events, functions, club business, and items or articles pertaining to mode! aviation and of general interest to the membership. The editor of 'The Dope Can' shall be appointed by the President with the concurrence of the Board of Directors. 'The Dope Can' shall by the means of member notification of meetings and other club business affairs.

ARTICLE 14- LOCATION

The primary flying site of the Suburban Aeroclub of Chicago. Inc. for land based aircraft shall be the Cook County Forest Preserve District Model Airplane Flying Field, located north of Flossmoor Road and west of Central Avenue, Rich Township, Unincorporated Cook County, Illinois. A secondary flying site, for water based aircraft, shall be located al the Cook County Forest Preserve Twin Lakes Retention Basin of Midlothian Creek, located north of 167th St and west of Cicero Avenue, Bremen Township, Unincorporated Cook County, Illinois

ARTICLE 15 - AMENDMENTS

Amendments may be made to the Constitution and these Bylaws at any general meeting of the club membership by a majority vote of the members present, provided that the members shall have been notified by ’The Dope Can’ prior to the meeting at which the amendment will be voted upon. Copies of the proposed amendment or amendments shall be provided to all directors and to any member who may request the same.

Regular members that fail to pay their dues by the 1st day of February of the dues year will be assessed a late payment fee per month for all months not paid.

The dues for new members joining after June 30 in any year shall be at the rate of

Regular and senior grade membership: $4.00 per month for the remaining months or part months in the year.

Junior grade membership: $1.00 per month for the remaining months or part months in the year.

The financial records of the club shall be audited annually by an Audit Committee

The audit committee shall be: the Vice President, and one other member of the club, appointed by the President, who may not be a member of the Board of Directors. The Audit Committee shall report its findings at the regular March meeting.

Establish a club account for future club expenses that would exceed the normal operating expenses; other not for profit purposes; or future acquisition of land. ACCESS to FUNDS: Funds can only be used if two thirds of the members present at a scheduled meeting vote in favor of using the funds. Notice of using these funds must be published in the previous month's Dope Can before both voting and using funds. This will be a line item in the operating budget.

An Operating Budget will be compiled by the Board of Directors and presented to the members present at a regularly scheduled meeting no later than the February meeting of the year it is to become effective.

1. The operating Budget must be approved by a two thirds vote of the members present at the meeting the budget is presented.
2. The Operating Budget will be presented in the form of a simple balance sheet statement showing anticipated income (based on the previous year's income) and anticipated expenses.
3. Monies not expended in any line item in an approved Operating Budget will be returned to the Treasurers' fund.