John Scott

On the Board

I've served on the Plus One Flyers board since 2018. As the only director who isn't an owner, CFI, or club employee, I've consistently brought the regular renting member's perspective to board decisions. A few examples of what that looks like in practice:

• Stranded-pilot benefit. Worked with then-President Larry Massaro to give members access to the insurance fund when stranded by mechanical issues away from home base. Members now have an allotment of up to $1,000 per incident to recover themselves and the aircraft, instead of being on the hook for the full cost of getting home plus the cost of recovering the plane.
• Reducing member exposure to insurance deductibles. The club carries a high-deductible insurance plan to keep premiums manageable, which is the right call. But when an incident happens, that deductible often gets passed through to the member in full or in part. I've consistently advocated for policies that limit how much of that deductible a member is on the hook for. Members have no way to shield themselves from this risk on their own, and I don't believe they should be one bad day away from a bill that wipes out their flying budget.
• Proper governance and transparency. Pushing for the board to follow its own bylaws, document decisions clearly, and make club operations visible to members rather than opaque.
• Yearly officer appointments. Pushed consistently for a return to yearly officer appointments, which is how Plus One was run from inception until 2021 and how nearly every other nonprofit operates. Annual reappointments give the membership and the board a regular checkpoint on whether officer roles are working.
• Holding the line on dues. When a budget came forward that would have raised member dues, I authored an alternative, co-sponsored by four other directors, that held dues flat by reining in spending and adjusting the new-member fee instead. Existing members shouldn't be the first place we look to close a gap, and the club's money is the members' money, a mindset that should drive every spending decision.
• Education over enforcement. Advocated consistently for safety through education and community rather than punishment. Members who feel like part of a community fly more, stay current, and look out for each other. Large monetary assessments after a mistake often just take a bite out of someone's flying budget, leading them to fly less and become inherently less safe.
• Member advocacy on individual cases. When members come before the board after a mistake, I push for the perspective that a member is not a number, and that most pilots having a bad day deserve the benefit of the doubt. Recidivism is low; the math of treating every mistake as grounds for removal doesn't add up.

In the Community

The community side of Plus One started as something I wanted to find when I joined in 2016 and couldn't. So I built it.

• Plus One Flyers Facebook Group. Founded the group, which has grown to over 1,000 members. Still the most active place in the club for trip reports, weather discussions, “anyone want to split a plane this weekend,” and casual pilot-to-pilot connection.
• Casa Machado happy hours. Monthly happy hour that draws 20 to 30 members each time. Easiest entry point for new members trying to find their flying people.
• Fly-outs. Over the years I've organized group fly-outs to Catalina, Big Bear, Mammoth, Sedona, Oceano, Death Valley, Santa Monica, Santa Barbara, and most recently Kernville. Camping, hiking, eating, flying.
• Mailing list. Built and maintained a mailing list for members who don't use Facebook so they can still hear about events.