GUIDE LINES for organising an IFFR Fly-In

These guidelines are not mandatory and have no legal effect but are in place to assist with the provision of satisfactory accommodation, tours and venues required for a successful Fly-In. It is also intended that appropriate information and briefings will be made available to assist pilots with planning their flying activities in a safe manner, without leaving the IFFR organisation and personnel, Rotary Clubs, Rotary Districts or RI open to litigation.

1 Planning
IFFR Fly-Ins are fellowship activities and should include time for relaxation with a balance of flying, organised social activities and free time. Late nights before long flying days should be avoided. Consideration must also be given to ways of reducing the pressure to fly in the event of bad weather on the day planned to fly.

2 Where is the location of the Fly-In and who is Organising?
Where the section has a Fly-In committee, or a nominated person, that committee or person should call for nominations for Fly-Ins from within its membership. Those nominations should be discussed at regular meetings and a decision made on a location, as long as possible in advance.
A standard application form to host an event should be prepared for the collection of information to assist in determining the suitability of the location. (see attached draft)

3 Section Formalities
An application to participate (registration) form must be completed and sent in for each participant or group of participants as a Fly-In registration to include a contact name and phone number in case of an emergency. Applicants should be reminded that it is a requirement that each pilot has adequate third party and passenger insurance for his her plane and a current medical and flight review endorsement. In case of doubt the decision of the organising committee as to adequacy of insurance cover shall be final.

3 Pilot Briefing and Weather Matters
As a service to the pilots, a briefing may be provided before aircraft departure. In default of a briefing the organiser shall inform pilots where and how the relevant information (weather and Notams) may be obtained. It is the pilot’s responsibility to inform the organisers of his/her destination and any alternates. If the weather is such that pilots cannot reach their destination, information on possible alternates and accommodation may be obtained on request and offered to the pilots and passengers concerned.
It may be prudent to point out the VFR procedures and any local requirements and insist that these be adhered to and no risks be taken. Information may include: Aerodrome procedures. ATIS if any. Taxi procedures. Appropriate run up bay. Backtracking procedures. Aircraft spacing on departure. Required radio frequencies. Other local information if appropriate.

ATC, Fuelling and parking arrangements
ATC and Airport management should be notified well in advance of the number and type of aircraft so that ATC is aware of aircraft arriving and departing with an estimate of time. Airport Management can organise and advise parking arrangements. Pilots should be advised of the fuelling arrangements and the brand of Carnet required or other methods of payment.

4 Responsibility and Airmanship
The provision of information is provided as an aid to the pilot. It remains the pilot’s responsibility to ensure that he or she has adequate information for his or her flight and makes the decision to fly or not. Good airmanship is also the responsibility of the pilot. This is all encompassing, extending from pre flight activities right through to the manner in which the flight has been executed within the privileges of the individual’s licence. Matters covered include: pre–flight checks, route planning and alternatives, aircraft familiarity – important in the case of rented aircraft, weight and balance calculations, availability of survival equipment, passenger briefing. en-route review of weather, fuel planning and management.

5 Fly Away Organisation

Information may be required in the form of en-route charts, terminal information etc, for visiting pilots from other Sections. It is assumed that local pilots will have the required documentation and charts. Pilots must be wholly responsible for route planning for their aircraft. On no account should charts in any form be marked with a specific route by the organisers. Such provision may encourage inadequate planning and in certain cases reliance on inadequate charts. Assistance maybe given in flight plan preparation but not to the extent that responsibility is taken away from the pilot in command of that aeroplane. In areas of unfamiliarity, local knowledge should be sought on airspace peculiarities, control zones and weather phenomena. A list of waypoints may be provided for the proposed route to be flown. Facilities to lodge flight plans should be made available.

5a. Flyarounds will be carried out in VFR conditions although those holding valid instrument ratings may file IFR. If conditions are not VFR the whole party does not go - it does not split up unless the organisers specifically agree otherwise in what would be considered exceptional circumstances. Anyone breaching this and going their own way will be considered, with their passengers, to have abandoned their participation in the remainder of the Flyaround and will not be entitled to participate in further events on this Flyaround or to receive any refund in respect of their own or their passengers’ non-participation. Although the organisers may determine that the conditions are acceptable for VFR flight the decision to proceed remains the pilot’s alone.

6 Emergencies
On receipt of the registration forms from the applicants the organiser should prepare, in duplicate, an emergency information sheet for each aircraft with the following details.
Aircraft make, model and call sign.
Names of all persons on board.
Names of nominated person or persons in case of emergency.
Contact details of nominated persons, address and phone number.
Phone number of mobile (cell) phones in the aeroplane. It is requested that each aeroplane have someone with a mobile (cell) phone. These forms should be carried in two separate aeroplanes by two of the organising committee.
The organising committee will determine appropriate action in the case of an emergency. A member of the organising committee should be last to leave a departure point and record the departure time for all aircraft taking part in the event.

7 Debriefing
At the end of each day’s flight, a debriefing session should be offered to discuss any concerns that developed throughout the day’s activities. Action should be taken to alleviate those concerns prior to, but no later than, the next day’s briefing.

There are two forms available for you to download:

Form A. if you are organising a fly-in, please complete this form*.

Form B. if you organise a fly in, please email this out to all the pilots attending. If you are attending an event, please complete this form and return it to the event organiser*.

*the forms are in .pdf format so you can save them to your pc to print out at leisure or email them as attachments.