Flying Clubs or Flight Schools?
What is a flying club?
A flying club is a non-profit organizatin and is a way for owners and pilot's to fly at an affordable rate. The flying club consists of multiple airplanes and owners that rent their individual aircraft through the club. All pilots pay a membership fee and monthly dues and they are able to schedule the aircraft through an online schedule master. This helps disperse the cost of the airplane for the aircraft owner, and allows us to fly at an affordable rate. The membership dues go towards managing the club and club insurance.
What’s a flight school?
A flight school is a for-profit business that employs instructors and owns or leases a fleet of aircraft. A flight school has to pay the same costs as a club, plus provide a return on the owners’ investment, plus pay more overhead.
What’s the advantage of flying with the clubs?
You can receive the same quality of flight instruction in the same quality of airplanes for less money and with more personal attention. Also, once you earn your certificate, you will have access to scheduling a plane whenver you would like.
Who instructs in the clubs?
Any person who holds a flight instructor certificate can join a flying club, be "checked out" in the airplanes, and then begin instructing. We are freelance instructors who set our own rates and policies, build our own clientele, maintain our own records, choose our own syllabus, and utilize the clubs’ fleets of aircraft for flight instruction. Because of the opportunity to earn a better income and the fact that freelance instructors sink or float due to their own business acumen and instructing talent, the average freelance instructor is more experienced than the average school instructor.
Because instructors and students are both club members, you maintain your own relationship with the club, becoming a member, scheduling the airplanes, maintaining currency, and paying dues and aircraft rentals. You hire the instructor separately, and pay him/her for his/her services. To schedule a flight, you coordinate with the instructor’s and the club’s schedule (usually not difficult).
What’s the advantage of flying with a school?
There are two circumstances under which a flight school is a good option. The first is if you need a loan arranged on your behalf to fund your flight training. Be cautious; once a school has you on loan they can (and do) get away with less than stellar customer service for the same reason movie theaters charge so much for popcorn: they know you’re not going to leave. The second reason to train at a flight school is if you are qualified for VA benefits and are working on your instrument rating or beyond.
How can I get the most out of flying with the clubs?
Just like with the schools, the vast majority of club instructors are superb. Interview your potential instructor. Ask him about his/her experience. Ask other instructors about the potential instructor. Talk to the instructor’s students. Although no boss can hire or fire a freelance instructor, those who do wrong by their students find themselves without students. They gain bad reputations. Good instructors are respected by their peers. Ultimately, you’ll be spending a lot of time with an instructor, so make sure that instructor knows his/her stuff, that you get along, and that he/she can teach in the way you learn the best.
How do I choose?
Go to all the flight schools. Visit the clubs. Ask questions. Realize that anyone can put up a website with a picture of someone in an airline uniform. A professional office with a secretary is impressive, but remember who pays for it. Anyone can claim to be the fast-track to a career in aviation. Not everyone is honest—trust your gut. Find somewhere or someone that will treat you well as a customer and that will deal with you honestly. No matter where you learn to fly, good training comes from a good instructor with a good syllabus—period. I was a good instructor at a flight school; I now do the same job but charge less in the clubs.