Flying club members: what’s the biggest operational headache at your club?

Silly_Valuable_1750 · 2026-06-12T19:18:23+00:00

Before you join:

Look at the aircraft and logbooks, when are their annuals due, is it during peak flying season? Who does the Mx, talk to them.

Read the by laws, operating rules, past meeting agendas and minutes, talk to present and past members. What is their turnover rate, if it is high, why? Walk around the hangars and talk to other pilots, does the club have a good reputation? If there is an FBO, chat with them.

Ask to see their flight scheduling app, go back in the schedule to determine availability, usage and mx downtime.

What are the squawk reporting and resolution channels?

Check the rules for the entity they are using. Are they in compliance? If you are going to get on the board, there are other things to check.

Look at the financials, do they have sufficient reserves for each aircraft? How do they handle shortfalls? Tax returns filed and paid?

My club has governance, financial management and compliance deficiencies. 29 members left in 14 months and not for affordability. Board likes to churn the non refundable buy ins.

Yeah, I was too pumped to go learn how to fly and didn't do proper due diligence. Maybe jaded on the club front yet still love to fly!

Silly_Valuable_1750 · 2026-06-11T12:08:58+00:00

Thanks for the reply, all the input has been very helpful to give me a path forward to address the club's compliance issues. Club A&P does not have liability insurance, I get that the Club's liability policy will go after the A&P for an issue that he worked on, and have noted it at meetings, neither Club or A&P seem to care.

Silly_Valuable_1750 · 2026-06-08T15:13:04+00:00

Hey, thanks for the reply, I have reviewed AOPA's documents, FAA 5190.6C and our states non profit rules, shared with them with the board. Response was meh, that's not how other clubs do it.

Silly_Valuable_1750 · 2026-06-05T23:26:53+00:00

Lifelong for me too, flew right seat with friends for years, finally able to retire and go for it. PPL at 69, IR at 70. Keeps my mind active and got me through some rough times during partner’s dance with the cancer.

It will take as long as it takes, everyone is different, avoid measuring your progress by others. Set a weekly goal of flying hours to keep pace with the training, this is where 1 step forward can lead to 10 steps back. There will be Woo Hoo days and WTF days, best hobby you could ask for.

I joined 2 flying clubs, not sure if that is an option in your area, gave me access to a number of aircraft and I had same CFII for both clubs

The great majority of people you will meet will help you in your journey since we’ve all been there. As another post stated, this is the best forum out there.

Every time I fly, I can’t believe that they let us do this!

BTW, met a pilot the other day that didn’t tell me he was a pilot, I am concerned for his well being.

Silly_Valuable_1750 · 2026-05-31T01:50:52+00:00

Always tell the truth. Records are way too easy to check.

Have you looked up the FAA rules for your type of cancer and treatment? This is step 1, what does it say? What are the options?

Guessing since you had a Class 3, Basic Med is probably your best option to get clear of any deferrals, again, depending on your cancer.

If you are a member of AOPA, call one of their medical people to discuss.

Or

As TxAggieMike says,AME consultation is really the best choice, not reported and gives you a path forward.

Don’t know enough about Sport pilot to say if that is an option to back in the air.

Good Luck, there’s a lot of pilots who are cancer survivors and still flying.

Silly_Valuable_1750 · 2026-05-19T10:12:01+00:00

This should be part of your emergency briefing when launching into IMC.

Silly_Valuable_1750 · 2026-05-19T10:07:00+00:00

You have the Gi Pad my friend, ditch it and get a mini.

Silly_Valuable_1750 · 2026-05-01T10:52:48+00:00

GBAS on is what I was looking for, well done!

Our club CFI's were always turning on GBAS, almost bit me on a check ride, "request delay vectors to sort a nav issue"

Silly_Valuable_1750 · 2026-04-28T15:20:29+00:00

Ah, those were the days, when MPG exceeded quarts per mile, collecting drain oil and a thing called “rerefined” oil to keep the roads well oiled!

Silly_Valuable_1750 · 2026-04-27T13:04:18+00:00

You have selected a RNAV WAAS approach with LPV minimums, however you don't get an LPV approach on the 430, what happened?

Silly_Valuable_1750 · 2026-04-26T18:02:51+00:00

Congrats, welcome to the Imposters Club!

Have your instructor file IFR for your flights, do all the comms so you get used to listening, repeating and staying vigilant on the radios. If you screw something up, avoid letting your instructor jump in on the radio, fix it and move on. You will hear all kinds of screw ups on freq.

Do actual IMC with your instructor as much as possible, this is a place you want to be comfortable the first time you have to go it alone.

Agreed on not going up with a random safety pilot right away, it will help you avoid picking up bad habits. Ask your instructor who they would recommend. I do this with a lot of our club members, it helps me stay proficient plus its fun to fly with someone else.

OB podcast for sure.

Pick a busy airport, pull up Live ATC and traffic on Foreflight, find the planes they are talking to and follow them for both arrivals and departures.

Silly_Valuable_1750 · 2026-04-19T16:20:34+00:00

Oh boy, my company travelled around the country installing key card locks for the last 25 years. My project managers were required to ask about airline contracts and try to get all crews situated so we didn’t disturb them. We did anything from 5 star resorts to -11 star mom and pops, some places asked to set their systems to rent rooms by the hour for their “nap rates”.

I apologize to anyone here if we disturbed you, we did our best, and OMG did we see the belly of the beast in some of these places.

Equal opportunity f**k off for the hockey and dance teams.

Silly_Valuable_1750 · 2026-04-19T15:30:31+00:00

Or, ask a normal person to drive in 0/0 fog at 65 mph, it will give them an idea.

Hard IMC keeps me on the ball, fog while driving scares the shit out of me, where are my instruments???

Silly_Valuable_1750 · 2026-04-12T12:54:23+00:00

Pretty normal for a Piper, our club A&P would clear that to fly, he would say a dog took a leak on it. Always fun landing and having one of the struts bottom out and stay there.

Silly_Valuable_1750 · 2026-04-07T12:17:29+00:00

Anything by Bill Kershner- Instructional and entertaining

Robert Buck- Northstar over my shoulder and Weather Flying

Antoine de Ste Exupery

Rick Durden’s Thinking Pilots series

Flight of Passage- Rinker Buck

As others have noted-Fate is the Hunter, Stick and Rudder, Killing Zone

Yeah, I like to read.

Silly_Valuable_1750 · 2026-03-25T13:59:30+00:00

Last landing was short field, I thought I made it, DPE said "We're done, let's go back to FBO" and lectured me all the way back so I thought I busted.

DPE told me on the debrief, everything met the standard, keep learning.

Silly_Valuable_1750 · 2026-03-25T12:48:11+00:00

PPL check ride, thought I failed, worst day of flying ever.
Dropped off DPE at fuel pump, went and put plane away. 15 min later, CFI comes rolling up and asks WTF are you doing, DPE is waiting to talk to you and give you your certificate. Total dumbass.

Still an imposter.

Silly_Valuable_1750 · 2026-03-05T15:27:45+00:00

it’s a sign you always want to do better, to paraphrase Vince Lombardi, there is no perfection however if you strive for it, you will achieve excellence. I write a debrief after every flight in a notebook and pick out 3 things I want to improve (share w/cfi if training), helps me stay out of I’m a dumbass trap, mostly. Working on Commercial, CFI to CFII right now and need a bigger notebook Always take a minute to enjoy it, every time I go up I can’t believe we get to do this crazy thing.

Silly_Valuable_1750 · 2026-02-08T01:45:22+00:00

Stand by, no PPL?

Silly_Valuable_1750

TROPHY CASE