Rockcliffe Flying Club Needs Your Help
The Rockcliffe Flying Club is a Not for Profit, and is celebrating it's 60th year in 2021. Unfortunately this year, due to many circumstances the future of the Club is in jeopardy, and we need your financial support in order for the Club to continue operating.
Please allow us to explain the circumstances that prompted this appeal.
The club revenue was severely impacted by COVID in 2020 and 2021 and we are slowly working a our way to recovery. Through a combination of several factors beyond our control, including the weather and the lingering impact of COVID, our revenue has not met our budgeted projections and expenses were not reduced accordingly. This means that our cumulative losses have continued and our return to normal operations has been delayed.
As many of you may not know, the Rockcliffe Flying Club bears the full burden of all the operating costs associated with operating the Rockcliffe Airport. We receive no government funding or support of any type and maintain a fully certified airport, located near downtown Ottawa. Although our revenues are down the airport operating costs are not.
The good news is that the period August – October is traditionally the strongest revenue months of the year. Early indications from July are that members are beginning to return to the Club as the COVID restrictions have eased and we are optimistic that our revenue numbers will return to normal historic levels.
The not-so-good news is that our current situation is very precarious and we have debts that need to be addressed in the very short term. Our current primary lender has indicated that they will no longer support our operations and we must do everything we can to repay that lender in the short term.
As a last resort, we have appealed to our members and the general public in the hope that the money they contribute will provide sufficient capital to allow us to meet our short-term obligations.
We have also embarked upon a recovery plan that involves examining EVERY facet of the operation to reduce expenses and increase efficiencies wherever possible.
The main goal is to ensure the essential services are maintained while cutting our overhead costs and allowing RFC to generate a monthly operating profit.
We, as a Board and as fellow RFC members, have no intention of putting good money after bad, but the Board is unwilling to let 60 years of Rockcliffe history simply disappear. We trust that our members and those who know RFC feel the same way.
Thank you again for your support.
The Rockcliffe Flying Club