Do the club officers who run a flying club...

There's hundreds of flying clubs around the country that own and manage aircraft for their members. Aside from the camaraderie, clubs make flying more affordable.

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N918KT
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Do the club officers who run a flying club...

Post by N918KT »

I have a quick question. Regarding the club officers who run the flying club (president, vice president, treasurer, secretary, etc.), do they usually do this for a living? Like do the club officers do this as a career or as a side job?
FrankR
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Re: Do the club officers who run a flying club...

Post by FrankR »

I'm not sure that anybody is making money in General Aviation.

I think the answer to your question depends on the size and structure of your organization.

Five pilots in a partnership are not required to have all of those Constitutional officers. So when does an organization get big enough to consider incorporation? There are many different opinions on that.

Does one plane with ten pilots in a corporation generate enough revenue to pay officers? I think not.

If the club has 10 planes and 100 pilots, maybe the President is also the operating manager and works full time. Maybe the maintenance officer can be an LSRM that bills appropriately for his services. Do treasurers, vice presidents, and the like get compensated with flying time?

In any group I would belong to, all of these issues would be voted on by the appropriate membership.

Anyone want to start a group in NC?

AOPA has some good articles about this:

http://www.aopa.org/members/pic/ac/flyi ... izing.html
http://www.aopa.org/members/pic/ac/flyingclubs/
Frank
Fayetteville, NC
N918KT
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Re: Do the club officers who run a flying club...

Post by N918KT »

Hey Frank, thanks for the reply. I also have another question regarding leadership in the flying club. Is it possible that a person who starts up a flying club or is one of the leaders can be a student pilot? Or are most flying club founders or leaders already certificated pilots?
Jack Tyler
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Re: Do the club officers who run a flying club...

Post by Jack Tyler »

Kevin, Flying Clubs, Partnerships, and Co-ownerships are all generic terms without specific legal or operational definitions. As each kind of association is formed, the documents that establish the group govern the operation of the group, the roles & qualifications of its members, and so forth. If I was interested in joining or forming a Flying Club, one step I would take is to ask AOPA - given they are rolling out this new support role - if they can provide or will provide a sample legal document that establishes a sample Flying Club. They did this some years ago for Co-Ownerships (it's still available on their website along with much else about partnerships/co-ownerships) and it's very instructive to read. Puts meat on the bones, so to speak. Suggest you ask them...
Jack
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drseti
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Re: Do the club officers who run a flying club...

Post by drseti »

Jack Tyler wrote:one step I would take is to ask AOPA - given they are rolling out this new support role - if they can provide or will provide a sample legal document that establishes a sample Flying Club.
AOPA has sample documents for a host of applications. I used theirs as the basis for my Leaseback Agreement, Liability Waiver, Hangar Lease, Rental Contract, and a few other business documents. Great resource!
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Jack Tyler
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Re: Do the club officers who run a flying club...

Post by Jack Tyler »

As Paul said... And beyond that, when using their sample Co-Ownership Agreement, I've found it helpful to take two related steps:
-- call their Tech Counselor group, ask to speak to one of the folks knowledgeable on the subject, and then have a discussion on what are the typical, practical issues that often surface as well as what options exist (beyond what's written in the sample document) to address them. This 'coaching' can be very instructive.
-- once your draft document is ready for use, and assuming you've paid that very small fee to have AOPA's basic pilot protection services (and if you haven't, now's the time...), send a copy to them for review and comment. This will be covered, at least in part if not in whole, by that annual insurance.

https://pilot-protection-services.aopa.org/ - $39
Jack
Flying in/out KBZN, Bozeman MT in a Grumman Tiger
Do you fly for recreational purposes? Please visit http://www.theraf.org
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