It started the way most good things in aviation start — standing on the ramp at KBMG, watching a Skyhawk that nobody was flying sit in the sun and depreciate.
"That thing needs an owner," said Dave, not to anyone in particular.
Three of us looked at it. Nobody disagreed.
What followed was eighteen months of learning, arguing, laughing, writing checks, and ultimately building something that none of us could have done alone: a flying club that actually works.
The Part Nobody Tells You About
Every article about starting a flying club tells you to get a lawyer, get insurance, and write good bylaws. That's all true. What they don't tell you is that the hardest part isn't the paperwork — it's finding people who want the same thing you do.
We spent three months just talking to pilots. At the airport. At EAA chapter meetings. At the local aviation weather briefing that still happens every Tuesday at 7am if you know to show up. We met a lot of people who were interested. Fewer who were ready. A handful who were truly committed.
That handful is everything.
The Numbers That Made It Real
We budgeted obsessively before we committed to anything. A used 172 with fresh annual, good avionics, and documented maintenance history came in around $85,000. With eight founding members each putting in $5,000, we had our down payment and a modest operating reserve. Monthly dues of $75 per member covered hangar and insurance. Wet Hobbs rate of $95/hour covered fuel, oil, and engine reserve.
We used a spreadsheet for six months before we trusted the numbers. Then we pulled the trigger.
Two Years Later
We have twelve members. A waiting list of four. A second aircraft — a 1974 Cherokee 180 — added in year two. Our maintenance fund has never been underwater. We've had zero accidents and one minor incident (a gear-up landing by a member we no longer have to explain to).
More importantly: we fly more than we ever did as solo renters. Because when the airplane is yours — partly, shared, cooperatively — you find a way to use it.
That's the thing nobody puts in the brochure. The airplane gets used. And using it is why any of us got into this in the first place.
3 Comments
This is exactly why I joined a club instead of renting. The numbers worked on paper but the community is what actually keeps me flying.
Shared this with our club WhatsApp. We've been arguing about dues structure for months. This is the clearest explanation I've seen.
Nine years in flying clubs. Can confirm: the engine reserve is sacred. We learned that the hard way before we learned it the right way.