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Old 8th Dec 2004, 16:42
  #128 (permalink)  
daw
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: London
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Noise,

It won't. A not for profit club doesn't fit with a commercial entity incorporated with the intention of making a profit and it never will.

If a club is what the members are after then I suggest pursuing the various sale and leaseback options that were around a while ago and getting in some decent advisors to renegotiate the debt and have a face to face with Mr Parkin. As an aside has anyone ever taken him out to lunch? Taken him up flying, brought him a beer and generally treated him as you would any client in business? Or is it all done by sending impersonal letters? Anyway.....then start afresh with a proper business plan (including detailed cashflows), a new constitution, cut down staff, get the members doing their fair share to help out where appropriate (clearly not the finances) and start getting things like the maintenance operation to be a profit rather than cost centre. Sort out the catering and bar pricing while you are at it and do away with the concessions. Harness the market that is around during the day doing sandwiches and hot meals at a reasonable price. Get a courtesy van and pick up crews that have 1-2 hour turn arounds and feed and water them. Sign them up as members at a discounted rate like it was proposed with Easyjet. Print some flyers and drop them everywhere around the airport. Sign up everyone that moves as members at a decent price. Then sell them trial lessons whilst you are at it. Anyone know how many people work around the airport and are at the new nearby engineering school during the day? Must be hundreds surely.

Hopefully the above measures will cross subsidise the flying training and give members a better deal just like how most clubs around the country work.

Of course there could be a bit of competition with Elia sniffing around so you will need a decent team to put the offer on the table to the administrators but if you want a club rather than a FTO then thems the breaks.
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