Inadvertently overstaying
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Inadvertently overstaying
My flying club has a four hour minimum for keeping their hired a/c away for the night. What is the usual practice if I am unable to return the a/c the same day due to poor weather?
I expect my flying time to be 2.5 hours max. I wouldn't want to spend the whole night worrying I was to be charged for 8 hours on my return!
How can I cover myself so they don't think I'm just making it up (sort of an aviation "sickie")
I expect my flying time to be 2.5 hours max. I wouldn't want to spend the whole night worrying I was to be charged for 8 hours on my return!
How can I cover myself so they don't think I'm just making it up (sort of an aviation "sickie")
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Their aircrat, their rules!
My local club had something similar and if you were one of the chosen few it meant you had some 'free' flying to fetch aircrat home or whatever.
Obviously the people to ask are those who own ad hire the aircraft. Regrettably most 'clubs' treat PPLs pretty poorly and that is why so many join groups or make other arrangements.
I suspect once you get the 'official' answer you may become one of them!
My local club had something similar and if you were one of the chosen few it meant you had some 'free' flying to fetch aircrat home or whatever.
Obviously the people to ask are those who own ad hire the aircraft. Regrettably most 'clubs' treat PPLs pretty poorly and that is why so many join groups or make other arrangements.
I suspect once you get the 'official' answer you may become one of them!
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Nothing is set in stone especially at present with the economic climate.
Explain what you want to do not what they want and see if there is an acceptable solution for you both.
There may be quieter days when the aircraft are used less and where they wont be turning away masses of income if you hold the aircraft overnight.
Its the old law of supply and demand but I cannot imagine the demand is so great where they will not try and accomodate you.
Pace
Explain what you want to do not what they want and see if there is an acceptable solution for you both.
There may be quieter days when the aircraft are used less and where they wont be turning away masses of income if you hold the aircraft overnight.
Its the old law of supply and demand but I cannot imagine the demand is so great where they will not try and accomodate you.
Pace
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My club has minimums too. 2.5 hours flight time if you take the aircraft for a full weekday, 3.5 hours flight time on a weekend day.
But a weather contingency stay is valued higher than a pilot misjudgement, so if poor weather, or other legitimate issues cause you to extend your stay without any more flying hours, then this is normally not an issue.
Furthermore, a lot is negotiable but it does depend on your reputation. If you're a regular flyer and valued club member who normally plays by the rules and you ask for an exception to the rules, then something can be negotiated. But if you only fly the minimum hours, cancel reservations for no good reason minutes in advance (or don't show up for your reservation at all) and don't volunteer for any tasks at the club, you'll have a tough time negotiating an exception.
And it works the other way around as well. I once had an aircraft gone tech on me in a foreign country, causing a 24-hour delay before it was fixed. The club gave me a discount on the flying costs to offset the extra hotel bill.
(And on top of that the travel insurance paid the hotel bill, so I actually came out ahead, money-wise. Still had to take an additional vacation day from work though.)
But a weather contingency stay is valued higher than a pilot misjudgement, so if poor weather, or other legitimate issues cause you to extend your stay without any more flying hours, then this is normally not an issue.
Furthermore, a lot is negotiable but it does depend on your reputation. If you're a regular flyer and valued club member who normally plays by the rules and you ask for an exception to the rules, then something can be negotiated. But if you only fly the minimum hours, cancel reservations for no good reason minutes in advance (or don't show up for your reservation at all) and don't volunteer for any tasks at the club, you'll have a tough time negotiating an exception.
And it works the other way around as well. I once had an aircraft gone tech on me in a foreign country, causing a 24-hour delay before it was fixed. The club gave me a discount on the flying costs to offset the extra hotel bill.
(And on top of that the travel insurance paid the hotel bill, so I actually came out ahead, money-wise. Still had to take an additional vacation day from work though.)
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Now let's see ... would a sane club charge you hundreds of pounds extra for not coming home the same day because you didn't like the weather?
Or would a sane club reckon that giving you an incentive of several hundred pounds to chance it with dodgy weather was not a good way to keep their aircraft, and members, in one piece?
So just ask yourself whether you're hiring from a sane club.
Or would a sane club reckon that giving you an incentive of several hundred pounds to chance it with dodgy weather was not a good way to keep their aircraft, and members, in one piece?
So just ask yourself whether you're hiring from a sane club.
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would a sane club reckon that giving you an incentive of several hundred pounds to chance it with dodgy weather was not a good way to keep their aircraft, and members, in one piece
