Andrew Gideon wrote:


Another factor to consider, beyond hours flying, is the hours spent with the
aircraft sitting away from home. Renting, this costs. Owning, it's free.

That's a "column" that pushed me heavily towards club membership (something
like ownership with training wheels {8^).

Yup, I went with club membership. It has almost all the advantages of
owning but few of the drawbacks. At least in my club the fleet is big
enough that scheduling is seldom a problem, except on the exceptionally
nice weekends when you wait until Thursday to schedule . I pay
monthly dues that include insurance as a named insured, and cost less
than buying insurance on the open market. The wet rate for a 20 year
old Warrior II is about the same as the wet rate for a 30 year old 172
at an FBO but the Warriors are better equipped (gps, autopilot). There
is a pool of instructors associated with the club that use a common
syllabus and meet club requirements, and regular ground schools are
held. Maintanence is handled by the club, with help from members
volunteering their time under A&P supervision. Also the cameradarie is
a big benefit.

Persoally, I can't see ever owning while the club is available to me.
Heck, I've figured that if you GAVE me an airplane it still would cost
me more (insurance, taxes, tie down, annuals, etc) than I pay to fly in
the club. Btw I fly about 50-75 hours a year.

Mike
--
PP-ASEL
PA28-161
http://www.wingsofcarolina.org
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