CLUB CONSTITUTION
1. This society shall be called the North Yorks Sailwing Club.
2. The North Yorks Sailwing Club shall be a member club of the British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association and its members shall abide by the rules of the BHPA.
3. The object of the Club shall be to promote the sports of hang gliding and paragliding in the North Yorkshire and surrounding areas in the best interests of its members.
4. The affairs of the Club shall be managed by the Executive Committee, which shall consist of Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer, Sites Officer and Safety Officer plus at least five ordinary members of the Club. The Executive Committee shall create additional posts as required and these shall be filled by elected committee members (e.g. Newsletter Editor, further safety posts, Competitions Secretary, Senior Coach, Social Secretary etc).
5. The Executive Committee shall have the power to appoint subcommittees as deemed necessary. The chairman of any such sub-committee is to be a member of the Executive Committee.
6. The Executive Committee shall meet at least once every three months, and at other times as deemed necessary, and five members shall form a quorum. The Secretary shall be responsible for calling Committee meetings.
7. The date, time and place of each Committee meeting shall be notified to each Committee member by the Secretary, in person or by writing, at least one week before the meeting.
8. Voting at Committee meetings shall be by a show of hands, and the Chairman shall have the casting vote in the event of a tie.
9. The Annual General meeting shall be held at such time and place as shall be decided by the Executive Committee. The business of the A.G.M shall be to:
(a) Receive and approve reports on activities of the past year;
(b) Receive and pass audited accounts of the Club;
(c) Elect the Officers and Committee of the Club;
(d) Transact any other business on the agenda.
10. Voting at the Annual General Meeting shall be by show of hands, except for item 9 (c) above, where voting shall be by ballot, (unless a majority of those present decide otherwise).
11. Notice of items for the agenda of the Annual General Meeting must be given to the Secretary at least 28 days before the A.G.M.
12. Nominations for Officers and Committee members shall be proposed and seconded by two members of the Club with the consent of the nominee.
13. Any Committee member wishing to resign from the committee shall give notice in writing to the Secretary.
14. The committee shall have the power to co-opt any member of the Club to serve on the Committee with the consent of that member in the event of a vacancy occurring on the Committee.
15. All Club members shall receive notice in writing of the date, time and place of the A.G.M, together with an agenda, at least two weeks before the A.G.M.
16. The Committee must call an Extraordinary General Meeting within 28 days on receipt of notice in writing signed by not less than a quarter of the paid-up membership at the time of receipt of the notice by the Secretary. The business to be transacted must appear on the agenda, a copy of which must be received by each Club member at least two weeks before the meeting, and no business discussed. All motions shall be deemed carried by a simple majority.
17. There shall be three classes of membership available:
(i) Individual Full membership:- available to all BHPA members, including Student pilots. Pilots must not, however, fly NYSC sites until Club Pilot qualified.
(ii) Family Full membership:- available where two or more BHPA members reside at the same address. In this instance the household will only receive one Sites Guide and one copy per Newsletter issue.
(iii) Visiting membership:- available to bona-fide qualified visitors (i.e. not to those members of the adjoining Dales, Northumbria and George Cayley Clubs). Valid only for one month. Visitors must be full members of a least one other club. Only full members have voting rights. The Executive committee shall have the absolute right to refuse any class of membership to any person, without having to state a reason.
18. The committee shall have the right to expel from the Club any member whose conduct has been found by at least a two-thirds majority of the Committee membership to be damaging the interests of the Club as a whole. Any member thus expelled shall be notified of the committee’s decision in writing, and shall have the right appeal to either an E.G.M or an A.G.M., at which a simple majority of members present may either confirm or overrule the Committee’s decision. In the event of an appeal the appellant shall continue to be a member of the Club until his or her appeal has been heard by an E.G.M or an A.G.M.
19. The Executive committee shall from time set the subscription to be paid by all classes of membership.
20. All money belonging to the Club shall be paid by the Treasurer into an account in the name of the Club. All cheques are to be signed by two of the following: the Treasurer, the Secretary or the Chairman.
21. The Club’s financial year shall end on the 31st December. Two auditors who shall be members of the Club but not of the Committee shall be appointed by the Committee and a duly audited balance sheet and accounts for the preceding year shall be submitted at each A.G.M.
22. No amendments to the constitution shall be made except at the AGM by a two-thirds majority of the members present. The committee is empowered to make emergency by-laws, which must be submitted, to the next A.G.M.
23. If, at the A.G.M. a special resolution to wind up the affairs of the Club shall have been duly proposed and passed, so much of the assets of the Club shall be realised as may be required to discharge all liabilities, and any remaining assets shall be donated to a charity or to any other properly constituted organisation pursuing the same objects as the North Yorks Sailwing Club, as decided by Committee in office at the time. No such resolution shall be passed unless by Two-thirds majority of the members present.
24. NYSC shall not allow commercial flying concerns (i.e. schools) to operate from its sites without the express permission of the NYSC committee or, if both instructor and instructee(s) are fully qualified (i.e. at least club pilot level) and full members of the North Yorks Sailwing Club.
25. Powered Hang / paragliders are prohibited from using NYSC sites for the purpose of either taking off from or landing on them. The club also request that powered Hang/paragliding pilots flying from elsewhere do not fly in close proximity to NYSC sites so as to cause a noise disturbance.
26. Dual flying is permitted from NYSC sites strictly for non-profit flights by BHPA dual qualified pilots. It is advised by the BHPA that pilots flying dual should avoid slope landing as this causes many of the injuries sustained by people flying dual.
27. There shall be absolutely no commercial school activities.