College Aviation Club

spinnaker513

New Member
I am a freshman at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. UNCW does not have anything associated with aviation. I already have my instrument license and I am working on my commercial license. I know a few people who are about half way through their training and would like to try and finish it up. I have also talked to a lot of students of all grades who are eager to learn how to fly, or at least learn more about aviation. I have started forming an Aviation Club and I am awaiting approval from the school. The idea is spreading quickly and the enthusiasm is incredible.

I have talked to a local flight school and one of their instructors, teaches at a ground school. It sounds like they are interested in teaching a ground school on campus if we can gather enough students. I have no doubt that I can get enough people together who would take the classes seriously and pay the dues. For the members who have the resources to fly; I would like to get the local flight school to come out and get the members started in their program and also have the opportunity to fly through their flight school.

Like all people who are trying to learn to fly, I am worried about how much it might cost for the members of the club. We will try and do some fund raising, but does anyone have any experience with this sort of thing? Is there any way if enough people buy the supplies for the ground school we could get a discount? Could AOPA help in any way and if so how would I go about contacting them (I am a member)? I feel like I need to try something, a lot of people are very enthusiastic about getting involved in aviation at our school.
 
I helped to run a flight team out of VT for a little while. It was difficult because the university sold the airport and their flight school right the summer before I got there, so we had to just be a group of pilots who all rented at random places, coming together to occasionally compete in NIFA events. Let me know if you need any specific help.
 
AOPA does have some resources available for forming flying clubs - take a look at the website.

Whatever you do, make sure that you structure the club and any deals that you may make for aircraft so that you have ZERO personal financial/legal liability - college students are always full of enthusiasm but unfortunatley, they are also notoriously broke.
 
When I was at the University of Texas in the late 80's, we had a flying club, but no airplane. A group of people would just get together twice a month and tell flying stories. It seemed kinda stupid. Some of us in the club got together, and working with a local FBO, set up a deal were the club was able to purchase a Cessna 150. It worked out really well. We were able to fly it for less that an FBO would charge, and those in the club with a CFI rating were able to build flight time and make a few bucks on the side. There were naysayers in the beginning that were convinced it was to much of a financial burden to take on and the club would go broke, but even they admitted later it worked out beautifully and actually allowed the club to grow since we finally had something to offer. The enthusiasm level goes up considerably when the flying club actually has its own airplane. If you have any interest in going that route, feel free to PM me and I can share details as best I can remember about all the hurdles we faced, and how we got around them.
 
FrogFlyer does something with a flying club at TCU. You could PM for some info.
 
When I was at the University of Texas in the late 80's, we had a flying club, but no airplane. A group of people would just get together twice a month and tell flying stories. It seemed kinda stupid.
Sounds like what happened to us. The university sold their flight school the summer before I got there, so we lost our aircraft. Since BCB was the only airport we could reasonably use, given our time constraints, we were stuck with nothing. Now, half a year after graduating, a new group came in from ROA to take advantage of the student population and lower prices (ROA management raised the hangar rent rather exorbitantly, so they were almost forced out). With that, I'm trying to organise a way to pass my reign off to some of the guys still out there at Tech to start the team back up.


Even if you don't have aircraft, you can still compete in the NIFA competitions. To fly, your teammates just need their licenses to fly, and you rent the aircraft at the event. Anyone else can compete in the ground events.
If there are rental aircraft around, it wouldn't hurt to go out to a local group and see if you can rent their aircraft as a team.
 
Get my PM?

as for the NIFA competitions, eh they are fun but if you make it to nationals you have to miss a week of school, usually around semester finals...nobody want's that, including me.
 
Study, get drunk, and get laid. Airplanes aren't going to snap out of existence. Don't waste your four year reprieve from Real Life on Real Life.

Not trying to be a jerk, it's an honest opinion. You'll have plenty of time for Airplanes later.
 
Back
Top