Not sure how that differentiates you from any other club? If I go to Denham, all of that is there. I think unless you have a pre-existing market who are unhappy with their current school, then if you don't have anything really different from any other club, how does that give you a better chance than any other school?

Sorry to be negative, but just trying to be fair. Just sounds like a standard school to me.

Either way, good luck, and hope it goes well. IPZ

Hi IanPZ,

You make a good point, the reason I seek out clubs, wherever I am in the world, is because it is about the flying not about the money. School = Money, club = fun (GENERALLY).

Like a famous millionaire once said, "you don't have to do something original, you just do whatever everyone else does, just do it better/brilliantly/best"

S&C...
Is all the below going to be on one site?

a) Fleet; 2 x PA38s (one IFR), 2 x PA28s (one full glass cockpit and airways).
1 x C150 Aerobat. 1 x C150 normal. 1 x Grob 109 motorglider
2 x Slingsby Venture ( cheap two seater flying available at £60/hr)
1 x Condor for tailwheel- more interesting hire.

Foster a club atmosphere is my best advice. The best club I ever flew at was a group on it's own airfield where the club activities were almost as important as the flying.



Also, when I got involved with running the place, I scrapped landing fees and reduced the fuel price. The result was an increase in income as other pilots made it their destination of choice. You will be amazed to find how far they will fly to fill up at 5p a liter less! Also, we got a good coffee machine, great muffins and a nice place to sit and consume them. The cafe made a fortune.

Something to consider if you have control over such things.

Also having something different to fly will set you apart as well. The club I fly at on my infrequent visits to the UK has a Decathalon which is why I fly there. Offer AOPA aerobatic courses and you will enhance the club massively.

Atmosphere is everything. Especially a welcoming atmosphere. It's daunting for young (and old) first timers who walk into a club to enquire about trial lessons with a handful of questions. It's great if the club welcomes them in the moment they walk through the door and invites them to look around the club and provides them with some printed information on how to proceed, prices and encourages them to become a member and enjoy the club as well as the flying.

If White Waltham were more welcoming to visitors arriving by car and the fuel was a little less expensive then it would be the perfect club.

I do like to see bits of aeroplanes used to decorate the walls/ceilings as well as the usual photos. It creates atmosphere.

Top marks on the Hook Norton.

Also, White Waltham has a member's day airshow that is always brilliant. If you could fit in something similar but open to the public, it would be a great way to raise local awareness and make some additional income.

Whoever works the reception should have it drilled into them that its not acceptable to keep customers waiting and generally ignore them like I have experienced on several occasions at Popham.

Tecnam aircraft. Sleek, sexy, sporty. P92 and P2002 for PPL. You can offer CPL/ME on a P2006, which is cheaper to operate than most complex twins. Not to mention their new line up (P2010 etc.)

Humm
Location given as Oxford.

Any speculation on location of the club?

I would love some time on that Condor.

Scrap the PA38s and go for VLA’s

Rod1

He could probably scrap the 152 as well. If the Aerobat is cheap to rent then it could be a good laugh but otherwise, surely a Citabria or Cap10 would be better? I guess the problem is what is cheap and does not require a tailwheel endorsement but is still fun to do aeros in. Suggestions anyone?

What about a factory built Tipsy Nipper for hire at £60/hr I kow I would go for it but I'm not sure about the legalities?

Low/no landing fees would be a great way to generate traffic and footfall. As previously stated, if the cafe is good (think Old Sarum) then people will come and spend money on fuel and a really good sarnie, negating the need for the income generated by landing fees. And lets face it, the more people that walk through the clubhouse door, the more money you'll make.

I think you can also generate footfall and interest by having a skydiving concern onsite as this attracts lots of people with the guts to fly.

Apologies if these suggestions have already been made.

steakandchips - great handle by the way - put that on your menu and I'll be there! You mentioned about an online booking system - try Dave Barclay at Highland Aviation in Inverness. They have a pretty slick system which may be of interest.

Bad idea, since he would loose one of his few IMC capable airplanes, also certified for intentional spins.

Steakandchips,
I do admire someone who has the guts to start a project like this.
As with any club, keep it simple. Concentrate on the basics of what people want. Don’t try and do everything. Make people who visit, want to return. This can only be done by making the visit fun/interesting. Visit your competitors to see what they’re doing and get a feel as to what is working. Busy clubs / happy people?
Avoid “committee types” who like to get involved in the running of a club but only end up upsetting members.
You say you don’t want to make any money out of it but I don’t believe that’s realistic, any successful club should be solvent and run as such. If someone can afford to fly a light aircraft, they can afford to pay Costa prices for coffee (but they will expect the coffee to be good!) The same goes for landing fees, if the runway is in good condition people won’t mind paying for it.
Best of luck
Pete

Funnily enough I was always put off by a good club atmosphere. I know I'm a miserable old s*d but all I ever wanted was to ring up, book, turn up and fly. This is why I never took up gliding properly. Time was too short to hang around all day. This sounds pretty unfriendly but I know I'm not alone. Some of us just want to fly. We already have a social life. If you can accommodate us as well the luvly.

Call me Nostradamus, but I predict that could end badly.

In particular, I predict the sound of an approaching Russian radial, the sound of frantic donut munching, the (laboured) sound of a departing Russian radial, and then the sound of your bank manager on the phone demanding to know how the hell you blew twenty grand on donuts during your first weekend of operation.

"Tecnam aircraft. Sleek, sexy, sporty. P92 and P2002 for PPL"

Which will fall apart after 10 mins. They are not upto the stresses and stains of a flying school.

150 aerobats are great aircraft you can teach PPL, IMC, Night and Aeros so they earn you cash all year round. And they will run on 91UL.

I love PA38 but that spar life doesn't help the bottom line

I fly from WW and am a huge fan - to be fair always looking to improve their service (at least over my 2yrs experience)

Some things that would escalate it for myself to a Carlsberg experience: member of ground crew coming out to meet you on arrival (from a day trip to France perhaps) with some refreshments and then to offer to put the cover on the plane for you. I am sure most will think I am a lazy sod but i would happily pay a bit extra for a more personal service

Finally, as you relax for a second with friends someone somewhere updates the flight record electronically so saving idiots like myself no end of grief going over this

:hmm: Really? I learned to fly on a 5800hr P92 of which 5700 of those hours were all PPL training. Seemed to hold together well, even after 20 or so of my magnitude 8 landings.

In these modern times I am astonished that none of the (admittedly not many) clubs I have frequented have any kind of email system set up so that interest can be maintained.
I think if I ran a club I would take the email address of every single person that set foot in the club and make sure that from then on they were aware of every event, special deal, fly out, discount, change of rules or whatever was on offer.
EG: I attended an excellent aerobatic beginners day last year. It was very well run and all participants were later emailed with their results, but there's been absolutely no follow up.
Whereas last week I bought a switch for six quid and today I got an email from the company asking if everything was OK. Good service.
Some enthusiastic individuals do attempt it off their own back but it's not the same as coming from the club itself.
Too many clubs leave the initiative to the member/visitor/individual employee.

stickandrudderman, thats exactly what our club does. As soon as you join, your email gets added, and then one of the members who runs the social side emails every month, telling people what that month's event will be, and also any events coming up. Means we can all plan ahead!

And you are so right, that makes a huge difference, and means we actually go to club events, cos its used as a reminder as well.

for online booking
 

This seems to work well:

http://goboko.com/

Good luck!