Before you head off to join the first sport-flying club you run across, here are some questions to ask yourself and the prospective club:
- What flying clubs are within an hour of my home?
- Where do they operate?
- Are they independent or dealer affiliated?
- Are the clubs shareholder or leaseback?
- How many members belong to the clubs?
- What type of planes does the club have?
- Are there sport planes in the lineup?
- Who handles maintenance and how often?
- What is the overall condition of the aircraft?
- Do I know any of the members? What do they like/dislike about the club?
- What is the initiation fee?
- What are the monthly membership dues?
- What are the hourly rental fees?
- Do rental fees include fuel and insurance?
- If I decide to leave the club, may I sell my share? How?
- What will this club require from me?
- Are there many sport pilots among the membership?
- How long has this club been in operation?
- Who are the club's officers?
- Are memberships available or is there a waiting list?
If you're interested in starting your own flying club, get a copy of
Forming and Operating a Flying Club through the FAA. Computer software packages available are for managing flying clubs. One is
MyFBO, which handles financial and aircraft records including scheduling planes for members.
