Arizona Flying Clubs

Choosing a Club

Clubs are a great way to fly quality airplanes without the money and effort of owning one. But they differ enormously in cost, aircraft, availability and how they are run. A little homework up front saves a lot of frustration later.

Download the questions as a PDF, to take with you when you talk to a club’s representative.

1. Know what you want to fly, and why

Start with your mission. Hamburger runs and local sightseeing need a very different club from week-long trips to the Midwest or regular IFR practice. Be honest about how many hours a month you will really fly: that number drives which club is cheapest for you.

2. Pick the kind of club

Traditional (Equity) Flying Clubs

100% non-profit, shared ownership: a shared airplane, shared insurance, and members vote on club and maintenance decisions. No non-owned insurance needed.

Non-Traditional Flying Clubs

The airplanes are not jointly or evenly owned by the members. Owners make the maintenance decisions and usually make a profit; non-owned insurance is almost always required (assume $500-1000 annually).

Social Flying Clubs

Clubs built around pilots, not airplanes: hangar BBQs, fly-outs, breakfasts and learning. They don't own airplanes or hangars.

About non-owned insurance: in an equity club, the club's policy covers the members. Most non-traditional clubs also require you to buy your own non-owned (renter's) policy, often with a stated minimum such as $50,000 of hull coverage. Get a quote before you join and add it to the cost. Non-owned insurance usually costs at least $500 to $1,000 a year.

3. Compare the real cost

Compare clubs on what you will pay in a typical month, not on the hourly rate alone: monthly dues, plus hours flown times the rate, plus fuel if the rate is dry. A club with a low rate and high dues can cost more than a club with a higher rate if you only fly a few hours. Hobbs time runs longer than tach time, so a tach rate is cheaper than the same Hobbs rate. The club wizard does this arithmetic for you.

4. Visit, and ask questions

Go to a meeting, look at the airplanes, and talk to members who are not on the board.

The most important questions to ask

  1. Does the airplane (or do the airplanes) have any significant damage history?
    • Airplanes with structural damage that has been repaired may have non-standard flight characteristics, and may not be as safe.
  2. Have there been any aircraft incidents or accidents in the last 5 years that have been reported to the FAA or the FSDO?
  3. Who makes the big decisions? Is it a board vote, or do all members get a vote?
    • Some members prefer to be hands-off, while others prefer to be involved in fleet, maintenance and financial decisions.
  4. What is the total time of the airframes?
    • Most pilots prefer to avoid airframes with more than 10,000 hours total time.
  5. Do all members pay the same monthly dues? Or do board members get a "free ride"?
    • Officers at some of the clubs do not pay monthly dues. This may have an impact on their motivations when making decisions, and increases the costs for members who are not on the board.
  6. How does the club feel about long distance trips, and what is the minimum usage per day?
    • Some clubs prefer to keep the airplane local, while others love having members take it on multi-day trips.

And a few more worth asking:

Money

  • What is the join fee, and how much of it is refundable equity when I leave? Can I resell my share?
  • What do the monthly dues cover (insurance, hangar, annual, databases)?
  • Is the hourly rate wet or dry? Is it on Hobbs or tach time?
  • Do I need to buy non-owned insurance, and how much coverage?
  • When did rates last go up? Is there a reserve for engine overhauls, or will there be special assessments?

Availability

  • How many members share each airplane? How far ahead do I need to book a weekend?
  • How hard is it to book the airplane? Ask for a screenshot of last month's online schedule.
  • Is Mexico or Canada allowed?
  • How much maintenance downtime did the airplane have last year?

Aircraft & joining

  • How old are the airframes and engines, and what are the times since overhaul?
  • Who does the maintenance, and how are squawks reported and fixed?
  • What experience is required, and what does the checkout involve? Are there CFIs in the club?
  • Is there a waiting list? Can I talk to a few current members, and see the airplane and the books?

Which clubs work for what

A quick guide to where each club shines. It is a starting point, not a ranking.

ClubLow costLong tripsFast aircraftFastestLower performanceHigh useful loadVarietyIFRTrainingLocal / day tripsMember-runBuild timeLow utilizationGliding
Traditional (Equity) Flying Clubs
Arizona Flyers
TUS		●●●●●
Cloudbusters
CHD		●●●●●●●●
Flying Javelina Aero Club
AVQ		●●●
Flying Ten Flying Club
GYR		●●●●●
Payson Aero Club
PAN		●●●●●
Phoenix Flyers
CHD / DVT		●●●●●
Scottsdale Flying Club
DVT		●●●●●●●
Tucson Soaring Club
El Tiro		●●●
VARS Flying Club
FFZ		●●●●●●●
Non-Traditional Flying Clubs
Deer Valley Skyhawks
DVT		●●●●●
Hometown Flying Club
DVT / BXK		●●●●●●●●
Legacy Aviation Flying Club
FFZ / CHD / DVT		●●●●●●
Painted Rock Cirrus Club
FFZ / GEU / DVT		●●●●
Phoenix Area Flying Club
FFZ		●●●●●
Professional Pilot Flying Club
DVT		●●●
Third Step Flying Club
CHD		●●●●●

Let the wizard narrow it down

Answer a few questions about your flying, your budget and where you live, and the wizard will suggest clubs to look at first, with an estimate of your monthly cost.

Start the club wizardOnline at arizonaflyingclubs.com/wizard.html