Airline based Aeroclubs

[Gilles Hudicourt]

A Question from Canada. I was told several European Airlines have aeroclubs associated with them.
I would be interested in knowing:
Which airlines have an aeroclub associated with them, those that do, what aircraft they operate, how many aircraft, how many members, how the aircraft were acquired, what are the membership fees, how they operate etc.

This so we don't have to re-invent the wheel......

Thanks in advance for the info.

[Jan Olieslagers]

A somewhat funny situation in Belgium: SABENA as an airline collapsed several years ago, but its associated aeroclub thrives. https://www.sabena-aeroclub.be/ gives all the details.

[Chris Martyr]

Originally Posted by Gilles Hudicourt

This so we don't have to re-invent the wheel......

A good common-sense approach there Gilles .
But I have to warn you that you'll never get a job in management unless you're prepared to dedicate your life to re-inventing the wheel..

[Jhieminga]

KLM has an aeroclub, but I think it is also open to non-KLM employees. One PA28-180, two Cessna 172s and an Aquila A210. Membership costs are between 60-65 euros every three months. The club has been around since the 70s and has operated a range of aircraft over the years, they have been based at EHLE since 1997. Website is here: https://klmaeroclub.com/ but I don't think there's an English version.

[Gilles Hudicourt]

Thank you for the replies
Any others ? I imagined some UK based airlines might have had aeroclubs ?

[horatio_b]

British Airways previously had a club based at Booker and Britannia Airways (later TUI) had a club operating from Luton before moving to Cranfield. I do not believe either are still linked to their airlines although the aircraft were still carrying the airline colours, at least until recently.
There is also a very smart PA28, G-RECW, which has recently been repainted in British Caledonian colours. This seems to be based at Blackbushe.

[Genghis the Engineer]

Those clubs are now known as Booker Aviation and Azure respectively, and easily looked up online.

I've flown with both, and both are well run - but I've no idea of the history of how and why they ceased to be formally linked to the airlines.

G

[G-ARZG]

Air France 'www.acaf-toussus.com' has 15 aircraft.
Hopefully on strike less than their mainline chums...

[A and C]

The British airways flying club was probably the best run PPL training Organization I have ever seen , unfortunately the BA bean counters sold it and a wonderful club atmosphere disappeared.

The people who perchased it run a good training organisation but the club atmosphere has been replaced by an airline pilot training system.

[Less Hair]

Lufthansa has some club as well, based at several cities: Hanseatischer Fliegerclub.

Just one example:
https://hfc-frankfurt.de/

Former east german state airline Interflug still has it's gliding club at the old site at Friedersdorf:
http://www.segelflug-berlin.de/

[CloudHound]

Don't forget the Betty Windsor Flying Club.

They're having a day out in July, all 100 of them.

[treadigraph]

Dan-Air used to keep a Cessna 150 at its Lasham engineering base for staff to use. Had several pax flights in it courtesy of a mate who worked for them. It was lost in a sad fatal accident a couple of years before the airline succumbed to BA's depredations.

[Less Hair]

This seems to be the one:
https://goo.gl/images/5MwUBu

[N707ZS]

A number of airlines used to train they're own student pilots on these aircraft. At a guess Lufthansa still does. Not just a crew hack flying club for existing pilots.

[Less Hair]

No Lufthansa does not train any pro pilots on club aircraft. They have a separate training outfit with their own fleet.
Club members can train for some PPL or similar on club aircraft.