| Flying Club | |
|---|---|
| Piper Cherokees of the British Airways flying club at Booker airfield, in the United Kingdom. |
A flying club or aero club is a not for profit, member run organization that provides its members with affordable access to aircraft.[1][2]
Many clubs also provide flight training, flight planning facilities, pilot supplies and associated services, as well as organizing social functions, fly-ins and fly-outs to other airports and so forth. While flying clubs are home to those who pursue flying as a hobby, many commercial pilots also get their start at flying clubs.
Most flying clubs own and rent small general aviation aircraft. In North America and Europe the most popular such aircraft are the Cessna 152, the Cessna 172, and the Piper Cherokee. However some clubs also exist to provide access to more specialized aircraft, such as vintage planes, aerobatic planes, helicopters and gliders.
In Canada, however, the clubs can be fairly large non-profit operations, some dating back to the 1920s and operating at large airports as well as small. Canadian flying clubs often serve as fixed-base operators at their airports as well as flight schools and aircraft renters.[1]
There are two types of flying clubs - equity flying clubs, and non-equity flying clubs. In an equity flying club, each member of the flying club "buys in" to the club and owns a share of all the club's aircraft. The member then pays both monthly dues, which cover the fixed costs of ownership (hangar, insurance, annual maintenance, etc.), and an hourly rate for his use the airplanes in the club. In a non-equity flying club, the members do not own a share of the aircraft. Members may still pay an initiation fee (usually much smaller than an equity flying club), a monthly fee to help cover the fixed costs, and an hourly rate to use the aircraft.