AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - 80

JOIN A FLYING CLUB

Fly a well-equipped IFR airplane 40 hours for the price
of a car payment.
Now, there's no question the driver
is right when he says flying is expensive,
and most of us scrimp and save in order
to do it. But the irony of a guy driving a
$90,000 car telling me, the owner of a
$30,000 airplane, that flying is financially
out of reach seemed a bit much. His comments struck a nerve, however, because
my own flying leans heavily toward the
impractical with an emphasis on singleseat aerobats, warbirds, and Experimental
aircraft that don't bring in any revenue.
Such expenses are hard to justify, especially with two kids approaching college
age. (My oft-repeated dodge that flying
is a bargain compared to psychological
counseling only goes so far.)
Still, when compared to other endeavors, general aviation can be a good
deal-especially when costs are shared
through a partnership or flying club. One
of the best deals at my local airport is the
Sky-Hi Flying Club, a 15-member, 40-yearold organization that owns a Cessna 177B
Cardinal. It costs $4,500 to join the club,
and that fee is refundable (based on the
Vref value of the airplane) when members
leave. Dues are $84.50 a month, and the
charge for flying is $77 an hour wet.
80 | AOPA PILOT April 2014

A club member who spends $350 a
month (excluding the equity stake) can
have access to a solid, well-maintained,
IFR airplane kept in a prime hangar
and fly it more than 40 hours a year, or
about 5,500 miles at 140 miles per hour.
From Maryland, that's enough to make
an annual flying trek to the West Coast
and back. Or go to Maine in the fall and
Florida in the spring, and still keep current the rest of the year.
There's also a Luscombe Flying Club,
where six members own a 1946 model 8E
and pay just $66 an hour-based on tach
time.
My older brother Jason is an avid golfer
and he thoroughly enjoys a game I detest.
It's a mystery to him why I'm not a member
of a golf club that is within easy walking
distance of my house. The reason I don't
play is that it costs $3,500 to join the club
(nonrefundable) and $385 a month in dues.
That's not exorbitant by golf standards, but
a pilot in the Sky-Hi Flying Club could get
105 hours of flight time for that.
Jason, a lawyer, likes to point out that
my career could benefit from the kind of
networking that's done on the links, but
I'm sorry. I'd just rather be at the airport

Flying clubs have a long and
successful history of lowering costs and strengthening
the aviation community-
and they're about to get
some helpful new tools from
AOPA.
The association has put
together a "starter kit" for
new clubs that includes
sample bylaws, a guide to
incorporation, and specially
tailored aircraft loan and
insurance programs.
"We're addressing the
biggest roadblocks to starting new flying clubs and
we're doing it in a commonsense way that people will
be able to replicate all over
the country," said Woody
Cahall, AOPA's vice president for flight operations.
"There's no one-size-fits-all
solution, so we're showing
examples and best practices
that flying clubs can pick
and choose from."
AOPA will unveil the
starter kit before the 2014
Sun'n Fun Fly-In at Lakeland,
Florida. It also will be available online at AOPA.org.
There are about 650
active flying clubs in the
United States, and AOPA
is helping them grow and
share information with
resources such as an online "Flying Club Finder,"
webinars, and a Facebook
page with more than 1,700
participants. AOPA Flying
Club resources can be found
online (www.aopa.org/
flyingclubs).
AOPA Flight Club
Specialist Brenda Tibbs,
a veteran CFII, is spearheading the association's
outreach efforts.
"Flying clubs are the
unsung heroes of general
aviation because they've
done so much for so long at
the grassroots level to help
people get started in flying
and to help them accomplish their aviation goals,"
she said. "AOPA is committed to clearing
obstacles to growth for existing clubs and encouraging
new ones to get started and
join in this critical work."
-DMH


http://www.AOPA.org http://www.aopa.org/flyingclubs http://www.aopa.org/flyingclubs

AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014

AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014
Contents
President’s Position
Letters
Waypoints
Proficient Pilot
Safety Pilot
License to Learn
Pilot Counsel
Endeavor Awards
Debonair Sweepstakes
Pilot Products
Events
People
First Look
Test Pilot
Industry News
Airport Stories
AOPA Action
GAMA report
Regional Events
Fly-Outs
Time Traveler
Craftsmanship: Where Wacos Take Wing
Luxury-Level LSA
Culture of the Smallest Corps
Cost Comparison
Proficiency
Dogfight
Wx Watch
Avionics
Never Again
AOPA Action
State & Local Action
AOPA Foundation
Member Services
Insurance Services
Fly by Wire
Tips from PIC
Pilots
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - Cover2
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - 1
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - 2
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - Contents
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - President’s Position
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - 5
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - 6
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - 7
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - 8
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - 9
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - Letters
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - 11
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - 12
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - 13
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - Waypoints
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - 15
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - Proficient Pilot
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - 17
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - Safety Pilot
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - 19
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - License to Learn
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - 21
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - Pilot Counsel
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - 23
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - Endeavor Awards
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - 25
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - Debonair Sweepstakes
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - 27
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - Pilot Products
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - Events
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - 30
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - People
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - 32
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - First Look
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - Test Pilot
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - 35
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - Industry News
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - 37
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - Airport Stories
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - 39
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - AOPA Action
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - D1
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - D2
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - 41
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - 42
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - 43
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - 44
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - GAMA report
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - 46
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - Regional Events
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - Fly-Outs
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - R-1
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - R-2
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - R-3
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - R-4
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - R-5
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - Time Traveler
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - 51
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - 52
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - 53
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - 54
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - 55
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - 56
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - 57
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - Craftsmanship: Where Wacos Take Wing
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - 59
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - 60
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - 61
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - 62
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - 63
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - 64
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - 65
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - Luxury-Level LSA
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - 67
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - 68
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - 69
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - 70
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - 71
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - Culture of the Smallest Corps
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - 73
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - 74
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - 75
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - 76
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - 77
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - 78
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - Cost Comparison
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - 80
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - 81
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - Proficiency
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - 83
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - 84
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - Dogfight
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - 86
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - 87
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - Wx Watch
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - 89
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - 90
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - Avionics
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - Never Again
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - 93
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - 94
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - 95
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - AOPA Action
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - 97
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - State & Local Action
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - 99
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - AOPA Foundation
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - 101
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - Member Services
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - 103
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - Insurance Services
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - 105
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - 106
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - Fly by Wire
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - Tips from PIC
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - 109
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - 110
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - 111
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - Pilots
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - Cover3
AOPA Pilot Magazine - April 2014 - Cover4
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