`It’s probably every pilot’s dream to own his own plane.
“It’s like when you learn to drive,” said Mike Myers of Barrington. “Sooner or later, you want your own car.”
But there’s a big difference between car and aircraft ownership. Most of us who buy a car invest a minimal amount and use the car virtually every day. Buying a plane, however, is right up there with what we might expect to pay for a house. And in many cases, the plane logs more hangar time than air time. So what’s a pilot to do?
For those not into renting planes from aviation rentals, and those who can’t afford to buy or who simply don’t want the hassles of ownership, the alternative is to join a flying club. Membership, which ranges from 15 to 450 in Chicago-area clubs, combines the best of all worlds for the private pilot.
“For me, the main reason I joined a flying club is the convenience,” said Myers, a 10-year member of Travel Express Aviation, based at DuPage Airport. “It’s the closest thing to owning my own plane, without the aggravation.”
If Myers wants to fly for fun or to use the plane on a business trip he calls the scheduling number at Travel Express.
There he finds out which of the club’s aircraft are available in the time frame he specifies and then indicates the dates he will be using the plane. At the scheduled time, he shows up and takes off in the next best thing to his very own plane.
Flying clubs have been visible in the Chicago area for 50 years.
“There are misconceptions about flying clubs,” said Carl Robst, who began Sky Haven Flying Club in Aurora.
“There are flight schools, there are aviation rental businesses, and there are groups of a few people who get together and buy a plane. But none of these is a flying club. A flying club fills the need somewhere between the student pilot and the guy who’s going to fly so much he needs his own plane,” he said.
Robst defined a flying club as a non-profit group that purchases or leases planes for the use of its members. Membership is open to the public.
Calling itself “the oldest and largest flying club in the country” the Stick & Rudder Flying Club is located at Waukegan Regional Airport.
“There may be flying clubs that are older, but not larger, and some that are larger, but not older,” said general manager and chief pilot James Duck of the 450-member club.
Stick & Rudder was formed 50 years ago at what was then known as Lake County Airport, by returning servicemen who were seeking an inexpensive means of keeping their flying skills up to date.
At its inception, the club comprised 41 members, two of whom were women, including the first woman to solo at the airport, Florence Wright.
“Aircraft ownership isn’t so much out of peoples’ reach in many cases, but it’s all about how much you are going to use it once you own it,” Robst said. “When you factor in maintenance, storage and insurance, most people don’t fly enough to justify the expenses.”
Robst pointed out that one of the club’s planes, a Piper Warrior II, would cost around $220,000 new, not including incidental costs. In contrast, a club member flying approximately 20 to 30 hours per year, plus dues, would pay roughly $2,600 annually.
Dues include insurance costs as well as fixed expenses, inspections and maintenance. Hourly costs to use the planes are incurred only when the plane is in use, as opposed to when it is sitting on the ground overnight at a pilot’s destination.
Some of the clubs provide their own in-house maintenance while others hire maintenance operations at the airport at which the club is based.
“One thing that did concern me about flying clubs when I was researching starting Sky Haven,” said Robst, also a corporate pilot by profession, “was their safety records. They haven’t always been the best, but this is something that fortunately has been changing over the decades.”
The caveat for anyone joining a club is to know the people involved, Robst said. FAA regulations govern only the operation of the planes and the pilots. “Clubs don’t have to meet any FAA standards,” he said. “That’s why there were problems with safety. Sometimes the owners or members can’t afford the plane, so something breaks and they don’t fix it.”
Robst recommends getting a feel for the people involved with the organization, why they joined and the group’s mission.
Robst says that he doesn’t know of any Chicago area flying clubs where safety would be a concern, adding that finding a good club is more a matter of finding the right fit.
Sky Haven wants its members to feel like they own the place. The hangars are open 24 hours a day with a “you make the mess, you clean it up” policy. In exchange, members such as Dave Voggesser enjoy the flexibility. “I’m an air traffic controller, and I work until 11 at night,” he said. “I like the idea that I can get off work, come over to the hangar and go flying at midnight if I want.”
Flying clubs let pilots expand their hobby but differ in operational procedures, costs, whether you purchase a share of the equipment, membership numbers and community involvement.
Some clubs pride themselves on taking part in the Young Eagles programs that introduce youngsters to flight, and in Lifeline, which provides free transportation to ill passengers who cannot afford to pay.
Other clubs offer a wide variety of aircraft for members to use. And still others provide opportunities for members to become part owners of the aircraft.
If you are interested in joining a flying club, check out the following list of Chicago area clubs.
COME FLY WITH WE
If you own a plane or are interested in having access to a private plane, here are some clubs to get you off the ground:
Businessmen’s Flying Club Inc.
Base: Naper Aero Airport, Naperville
Founded: 1957
Membership fee: $250-$450
Monthly dues: $45
Hourly rates: $30-$55
Equipment: Cessna 150, Cessna 172, Cessna 182
Telephone: 630-416-4327
Fox Flying Club
Base: DuPage Airport
Founded: 1955
Membership fee: $150
Monthly dues: $50
Hourly rates: $39 to $56
Equipment: Piper Arrow, 2 Piper Archers, Cessna 172
Telephone: 630-443-1660
The Group Inc.
Base: Lewis University Airport, Romeoville
Founded: 1990
Membership fee: $3,000
Monthly dues: $30
Hourly rates: $36
Equipment: Piper Cruiser PA28-140
Telephone: 630-495-0108
Mentor Flyers Inc.
Base: Naper Aero Airport
Founded: 1975
Membership fee: $13,000
Monthly dues: $110
Hourly rates: $50
Equipment: Beechcraft Mentor T-34B
Telephone: 847-605-1200, ext. 34
Naperville Flying Club
Base: Naper Aero Airport
Founded: 1964
Membership fee: $1,584 to $4,556
Monthly dues: vary
Hourly rates: $39 to $65
Equipment: 2 Cessna 172s, 2 Cherokee Archer IIs, Beechcraft Debonair
Telephone: 630-690-6407
Sky Haven Flying Club Inc.
Base: Aurora Municipal Airport
Founded: 1995
Membership fee: $360
Monthly dues: $30
Hourly rates: $50 to $74
Equipment: Piper Arrow II, Piper Warrior II, Bellanca Citabria
Telephone: 630-466-0759
Stick & Rudder Flying Club
Base: Waukegan Regional Airport
Founded: 1948
Membership fee: $250
Monthly dues: $20
Hourly rates: $35.75 to $73
Equipment: Cessna 152, Cessna 172, Cessna 172RG, Cessna 182RG
Telephone: 847-249-5190
Travel Express Aviation
Base: DuPage Airport
Founded: 1978
Membership fee: $400
Monthly dues: $36
Hourly rates: $75 to $535
Equipment: Piper Cheyenne, Beechcraft Baron, Piper Aztec, Piper Saratoga, Piper Arrow, Piper Archer, 2 Piper Warriors, Cessna 172, Cessna 182
Telephone: 630-584-6462
Vagabond Flying Club
Base: DuPage Airport
Founded: 1953
Membership fee: $1150
Monthly dues: $35
Hourly rates: $30 to $35
Equipment: Cessna 172, Cherokee Warrior, Cherokee Cruiser
Telephone: 630-830-2067
Windy City Flyers
Base: Pal-Waukee Airport, Wheeling and Prospect Heights
Founded: 1991
Membership fee: $50 to $495
Monthly dues: up to $33
Hourly rates: $48 to $345
Equipment: Cessna 150, Piper Warrior, Piper Warrior II, Cessna 172, Grumman Traveler, Piper Arrow, Piper Arrow III, Mooney 201, Cessna 182RG, 2 Beech Bonanzas, Piper Seminole, Beech Baron, Cessna Chancellor
Telephone: 847-808-1188
