If possible offer something different to the C152/172 and PA-28.
This is probably the best thing you could do. If all you have are spam-cans then people will regard you as just a school like any other and not a club worth attending for fun. Even a Piper Cub, or a tailwheel Cessna 120 would be something different, and these don't cost a lot to buy. (I read something about Stampe's going on to LAA permits just recently which might make them affordable. That's something I know I'd really like to fly)
with a healthy and vibrant social scene.
This will be hard to get right for everyone, but things like an occasional barbeque, or a guest speaker, or even something like a flying navigation race would get members more involved.
Other things:
- A club membership deal that includes home landings and maybe circuits.
- A fly-out group with a yearly schedule (even if half of it gets cancelled)
- A decent receptionist that answers the phone (maybe a job for a blonde 25 yr old
)
- Online booking
- Fuel cards for a self-service pump
- Equipment hire (parachutes, ELTs, life raft etc.)
EDIT: If you are thinking about commercial training...
http://www.pprune.org/jet-blast/4547...l-manuals.html