Why Should You Join a Flying Club?

One great advantage to joining a flying club is getting more flying time without breaking the bank. Flying clubs are nonprofit organizations that give its members many perks and benefits. Both pilots and aircraft owners are encouraged to find and join flying clubs because they help you save money by lessening the cost of maintenance of your aircraft and offer hourly flying rates. Not only that, but you will also get to try different types of aircraft so you can further improve your skills as a pilot. Lastly, this will also be your chance to connect with other pilots as these flying clubs build communities that can help you link to other pilots or other people in the industry.

How to Join a Flying Club
To join a flying club, simply find one near you and check their online resources and see if the benefits they offer match your interests. Then once you find one that sparks your interest, check what their requirements are. There are two types of flying club: equity and non-equity. For equity clubs, it means that the members here have shares of the stock and to join, a member should purchase a share and when that member leaves the club, they also need to sell back their shares. For the non-equity ones, there are flying club fees that you will have to pay for you to be able to join. 

To read more about flying clubs, flying club airlines, or flying club membership, you may check this out: https://youcanfly.aopa.org/flying-clubs

Finding Flying Clubs
To check out flying clubs, a quick Google search of ‘flying clubs near me’ can yield favorable results. There are also club finders in some websites. This is one useful website to find a flying club in your area as you can filter it based on club type, club benefits, flying, and state. Click here to view the page. You can also check this page out.

Can I Start My Own Flying Club?
There are a wide variety of people who can make up a flying club. From pilots to aircraft owners, to aviation instructors and ex-military pilots. These clubs provide accessibility, affordability, and a sense of community among their members but can you actually start your own flying club? These are a few initial steps you can do to establish your own club:

• Think of the culture you want for your flying club.
  There are a lot of things to consider but to set the tone for starting your flying club, you should be able to determine the type of culture that you want to have. This is what will distinguish you from all other flying clubs so this is critical. You should decide whether you want a more exclusive club with only 10 or 20 members, or do you want to be more accessible. There are also other factors to think about like operating rules and safety culture — which are equally important. 
• Who will be the founding members?
  Just like establishing partnerships, you should always try to find like-minded people who share the same vision with you. For sure there are a lot of people wondering if they can also start their own flying club but have no idea how to do it, and they can be your partners. But at the same time, these people should also agree on your goal of establishing a flying club. You can find these people either through your own connections or you may also put up advertisements online and also in airports or flying schools. Aside from these, you’ll also need to think about what each founder can bring to the table like the following: vision, finance, organization, contract background, maintenance, flight instructor, or aircraft owner.  
• Set the structure of your club.
  After writing your mission and vision, the next step is to set the structure of your club. You may choose between an equity club vs. a non-equity club. If you decide to be an equity club, you’ll be able to own the asset, but also, you’ll need to know how to handle the entry and exit of each member, and how to sell their shares once they leave. On the other hand, for non-equity clubs, you might have better luck in finding an airplane to lease, which will also lead to lesser costs once you start running your club. But at the same time, this is a bit tricky since it will all depend on the whims of the owner of the plane. Maintenance can also be an issue in the long run.

To know more about establishing your own club, visit this page.