Looking for input.

Hello all,

I am looking for feedback on the following type of club.

Would you join a club that provided you unlimited ground schools, seminars, test preps, and 3 hours of flight instructing for a flight review every two years? It would also be a social networking club as well. Ground schools would include private, instrument, commercial, multi, and instructor courses for both airplanes and helicopters, and seminars would include night flying, winter flying, aircraft preventative maintenance and systems, high altitude, high-performance and turbine transition, weather, etc. Ground schools would be rotated with new ones starting every four months or so.

And discounts would be given on flight instruction,pre-purchase and annual inspections, pilot supplies, and aircraft rental at participating schools.

Would you be willing to pay $25 a month or $250 a year?

27 views so far and no opinions? I would be happy with a yes, no, or maybe answer. Although if it is maybe, I’d love to know what would move you to a yes:)

In reply to:


Hello all,
I am looking for feedback on the following type of club.
Would you join a club that provided you unlimited ground schools, seminars, test preps, and 3 hours of flight instructing for a flight review every two years? It would also be a social networking club as well. Ground schools would include private, instrument, commercial, multi, and instructor courses for both airplanes and helicopters, and seminars would include night flying, winter flying, aircraft preventative maintenance and systems, high altitude, high-performance and turbine transition, weather, etc. Ground schools would be rotated with new ones starting every four months or so.
And discounts would be given on flight instruction,pre-purchase and annual inspections, pilot supplies, and aircraft rental at participating schools.
Would you be willing to pay $25 a month or $250 a year?


I trust what you want is honesty. If so, here is my answer. I would be highly skeptical. I would not be an early adopter. I would consider it only when and if others I have reason to respect spoke highly of the actual benefits they received and the way they were delivered.

Jim Knollenberg SR22 1904 N716DG

Mr. Unknown Person Named Ducati:

How about a club that charges $50 per year, puts on free safety programs at various airports across the country, holds pilot proficiency programs for a fee at various locations across the country and a migration once a year and has an active members forum?

Have you attended any of these programs? That might give you an insight as to what is currently being delivered to this community.

Do you have $50 to join and find out?

Are you just a kid at an internet cafe? Do you have experience in pilot seminars? Do you have a name and address?

Hi Jim,

Thanks for your response. So, you would want to know more about the qualifications and professional ability of the staff and instructors before you considered joing? If you saw a calendar that was full of classes and you knew you could sign up for any of them, would you be more enticed to join?

C.J.?

Mr. Unknown Person Named Ducati:

Actually, I think I described the circumstances under which I would consider. Seeing a calendar, or a lot more, would not change my position. As I said I would not be an early adopter. I hope you were looking for honest input and not just interested potential customers. If not, I misunderstood.

Jim Knollenberg

Not looking for potential customers. I am looking to find out how much market exists for such a program.

So, you would only join after you had feedback from others. What kind of feedback would you need to consider joining?

Hi,

I like picking and choosing individual products (or training) and knowing the exact price that I will pay. I agree with Jim - I am skeptical.

Why should I pay a monthly bill when these products are available individually?

Maybe this would work for a student just starting out that needs a lot of training and certifications.

Not sure what kind of airports you operate out of, but would you pay a flat montly fee to be part of a fuel cooperative? At the larger airports near me, 100LL is $4.50 a gallon. With 100 members, it might as little as $12 bucks a month to have a 10,000 galloon fuel tank with fuel available for less than $3.00. Would you be interested in an rganization that provided services such as a fuel coop?

Mr. Ducati: I am sort of skeptical, but that is my nature and my job! Most clubs of a social nature are non profit, but somehow your post, has the look and feel of something more than that. Clearly this club would have to be or at least start out in one location. If this is the case, I suggest that you start networking on that field and see what interest you have with real potential members.

I previously started a group looking into forming a club (primarily to compete with an egregiously greedy FBO with a monopoly on the field and an uncomfortably close tie to the Airport Authority), that’s primary purpose was to sell fuel at reasonable rates. Even with a limited, $0.25/gallon mark-up, were were a buck below the FBO’s price. We never considered a monthly fee, but then we really just wanted to break-even and get cheap gas.

Good luck with your investigation.

In reply to:


Not sure what kind of airports you operate out of, but would you pay a flat montly fee to be part of a fuel cooperative? At the larger airports near me, 100LL is $4.50 a gallon. With 100 members, it might as little as $12 bucks a month to have a 10,000 galloon fuel tank with fuel available for less than $3.00. Would you be interested in an rganization that provided services such as a fuel coop?


C.J., is that you? Looks like your post on studentpilot.com. Note to others - CJ is ok. He is just looking for a new business angle. Just don’t get him talking about airplane lease-backs (he does them). [:D]

With the Cirrus, I end up buying gas everywhere that I fly (Bahamas, Florida, Padre Island, Georgia…). The tanks in the the Cirrus are not big enough to make a cross country round trip.

Around my airport, there are several airports that compete for the AV gas business. One month, one airport will be cheapest, then it rotates around to the others. Probably it depends on when they purchase, since gas prices change so quickly. If they paid too much, it will take them longer to get rid of it (since they would not sell below their cost). I just fly to the cheapest one, based on http://www.airnav.com.

CJ, good luck.

Hi Paul,

Yes, it is me. I wrote a response last night, but not sure where it went. Anyway, I am doing some research on how pilot’s think. I am very unhappy in the way aviation businesses operate, so I want to see what pilot’s actually want and work to make that a reality. I am starting to think the way to go is to start aircraft clubs without the fancy FBO and flight school. Just for people who want to rent an aircraft a couple hours a month without the need for the fancy office and amenities they might never use. I will set up a program where I manage a club if all the members are members of my club. Just trying to make aviation education more easily accessed.

In reply to:


I am very unhappy in the way aviation businesses operate, so I want to see what pilot’s actually want and work to make that a reality.


What pilots actually want is something for nothing. In that regard, they are just like everyone else. Only more so.

Jim Knollenberg SR22 1904 N716DG-soon-to-be-N5PF