GA is dying. In fact, it's already dead at many (perhaps most?) airports
across America. The high price of gas, insurance, aircraft, hangars, fees,
training, plus the unreliability and hassle factors have kept all but the
fanatical (a group in which I proudly include myself) away from airports.

Our flying has suffered as well. Even with three pilots in the family, it's
hard to justify flying a plane like Atlas (our Cherokee 235 Pathfinder) that
burns a whopping 25 gph at take-off. There is no way my son could afford to
rent that plane from us, and even renting a Cessna 150 once or twice a month
is almost beyond his financial capability.

So, a group of us started looking for solutions. We wanted to partner on :

- A small, affordable aircraft
- Preferably Light Sport
- Something that burns car gas

Then we started discussing the problem for the kids. A group of us already
have aircraft of our own, and also have children who are pilots (or who want
to be) that simply can't afford to pay the FBO's rental rates.

We also wanted to do something to enhance the social aspects (or lack
thereof) of our airport. All of us are members of FOICA (Friends of Iowa
City Airport) -- a support group that we started several years ago that has
become the social center of the airport -- but we wanted to do something
that would help expand aviation to kids as well as adults, while
simultaneously expanding the social opportunities at the airport.

Thus, the "Family Flying Club" was born. Iowa City Flying Club has
incorporated as a non-profit, with the (somewhat unique) arrangement that
permits two classes of membership:

- Full membership -- this gives you ownership rights and privileges
- Associate membership -- open only to the immediate family members of the
full members, this level allows you full use of the club plane(s) by paying
an hourly rate.

This makes membership far more affordable and attainable for kids, and
encourages family members to take flight lessons.

We have purchased a 1948 Ercoupe -- a cute little 2-seat aircraft that sips
mogas at just 5 gallons per hour. According to my calculations, we can
rent the plane for just $14/hour dry -- a price our kids can easily afford.
We got a good deal on a plane that was in a taxiing accident (one of our
partner/members is my A&P/IA) and will therefore have a minimal amount of
money invested ($20K), split three ways. And, of course, we can always add
more members, which will reduce that commitment even more.

Here are some pics of our new bird:
http://www.alexisparkinn.com/2008_-_ercoupe_n94856.htm Cute, no?

It's not LSA certified, unfortunately -- but we discovered that LSA-Ercoupes
are essentially one-person planes. So, we had to look for a model with
greater useful load, which disqualify them for LSA status.

In the end, I think we will have made flying more affordable, in a fun
little plane that we can park in the antique/classic section at OSH. Our
kids can afford to fly it, and (assuming more families join the club) we
should be able to expand our pilot base, while creating an opportunity for
more social interaction at the airport.

Win-win-win!

:-)
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"