Odd flying club dilemma
- Thread starter ChasenSFO
- Start date
JustinS
Well-Known Member
That is way over the top Chasen.
At GTU where I have rented before the check out consisted of flying basic private pilot maneuvers and some pattern work to get comfortable with the airplane. It's a 90 day check out. If it lapses, you can fly with an instructor from the school just in the pattern and regain the privilege of renting no need to do all the air work again or fill out the papers (weight & balance, operating limitations etc.). On top of that they had some Piper Archers (180HP) and Piper Warriors (160HP), if you got checked out in the Archer then you could rent the Warriors as well. What they asked was very reasonable for renting.
What your school does sounds about like what the standardization course is at my University for students who come into the flight program with their private from somewhere else allowing them to continue all their training part 141. I hope you get your money out of there and find some place that's going to treat you right. After all, you are the customer!
At GTU where I have rented before the check out consisted of flying basic private pilot maneuvers and some pattern work to get comfortable with the airplane. It's a 90 day check out. If it lapses, you can fly with an instructor from the school just in the pattern and regain the privilege of renting no need to do all the air work again or fill out the papers (weight & balance, operating limitations etc.). On top of that they had some Piper Archers (180HP) and Piper Warriors (160HP), if you got checked out in the Archer then you could rent the Warriors as well. What they asked was very reasonable for renting.
What your school does sounds about like what the standardization course is at my University for students who come into the flight program with their private from somewhere else allowing them to continue all their training part 141. I hope you get your money out of there and find some place that's going to treat you right. After all, you are the customer!
Autothrust Blue
"Well, on the Brasilia..."
Different start procedure, one extra lever on the P.Something I agree with, as a mechanic
N and P, that's a different story.
But beyond that, uh, it's still a 172.
WacoFan
Bigly
Chasen did not deserve the treatment he received - I think that is clear. What he does deserve abuse for is joining a flying club with stupid airplanes - 172's and such. I think we should all abuse him until he gets his tailwheel endorsement. Then, we will start abusing fholbert until he trades the Super Viking for a respectable Bellanca - a Model 14-9 with the Ken-Royce on it. That's what he needs.
trafficinsight
Well-Known Member
Well, they used to have a T-6 for rent for 600$ an hour. You should have seen the currency requirements for that!
FlyingScot
Spanish Proficient
I think any school or club should have a check out, like a mini BFR or once around the pattern. No glance at a logbook tells what kind of pilot a person is. When I had 300 hours I was I awe of the 1000 hour pilots I taught until I got into the airplane with them. Many had 1000 hours of really bad habits that we had to work out before I would let them take my plane out, fortunately they owned their own.
Jafari RastaMan
Well-Known Member
Just to play Devil's Advocate here, do you think theres a pattern developing considering this has happened three times? Perhaps there is something with your flying that three different places have noticed and you don't acknowledge...
killbilly
Vocals, Lyrics, Triangle, Washboard, Kittens
Interestingly enough, they're separate checkouts at one place I looked at yesterday, but not the other.
Vyse
BirchJet CA
I wound up joining Shoreline Flying Club, which eventually merged with Sundance. Shoreline was one of the few places where there was no initiation or monthly fees. Well I guess in Shalo Alto, they can afford it...
trafficinsight
Well-Known Member
You have the ability to blow yourself up if you try to start an S like a P
A ground only checkout is fine though, that's what we did when we sold the N and bought the S.
drunkenbeagle
Gang Member
I've flown there as well, my experience was about the same a Chasen's.
Here in FL, currency is just "you have a license, and possibly a current medical? Good to go!"
rframe
pǝʇɹǝʌuı
I have no problem with currency requirements, and with the absurd cost of commercial aircraft insurance, reasonable limits that might help lower premiums make a lot of sense.
I also dont think it's unreasonable at all for a FBO or club to have a 90-120 day currency policy. I mean if you haven't flown for 3-4 months, is it really a bad idea to get .5-1.0 of dual to knock off the rust? If that's restrictive or cost-prohibitive, well honestly I don't care because you'll probably not be back for another 6 months after this flight anyway and I'm not losing anything by not having your business. People who complain about this are effectively saying, "hey I know I'm not bringing you any appreciable profit, but I'd like to present your business with a higher risk, and I'd like you to be cool with that". My response, "no, go buy your own airplane".
However, if you're going to set a currency policy, then follow it. If 89 days isn't "current" enough, then dont have a 90 day policy. I'd be ticked too, and this club sounds like a BS operation.
I also dont think it's unreasonable at all for a FBO or club to have a 90-120 day currency policy. I mean if you haven't flown for 3-4 months, is it really a bad idea to get .5-1.0 of dual to knock off the rust? If that's restrictive or cost-prohibitive, well honestly I don't care because you'll probably not be back for another 6 months after this flight anyway and I'm not losing anything by not having your business. People who complain about this are effectively saying, "hey I know I'm not bringing you any appreciable profit, but I'd like to present your business with a higher risk, and I'd like you to be cool with that". My response, "no, go buy your own airplane".
However, if you're going to set a currency policy, then follow it. If 89 days isn't "current" enough, then dont have a 90 day policy. I'd be ticked too, and this club sounds like a BS operation.
Well, except the $50 or whatever a month for not having to do anything other than keep me in your schedule system, or the $1000+ buy in they pay......
drunkenbeagle
Gang Member
Lot's of people fly out of multiple locations. Usually the "currency policy" only includes the FBO's aircraft, it is more about booking more business than about insurance. And losing an otherwise good and paying customer is almost never good for business.
2 hours of instruction every 3 months is a bit restrictive an excessive in my opinion.
rframe
pǝʇɹǝʌuı
I dont charge a monthly fee, nor a "buy in". Even if I did, I dont see how that affects currency at all. The buy-in should either represent some sort of increased aircraft availability because of limited slots, or some sort of equitable share in the club's assets.... otherwise, "there's a sucker born every minute".
rframe
pǝʇɹǝʌuı
I'd say it's idiotic, but you'd probably know that going in. If I reallllly had a need to fly at a place like this because of convenience or travel or whatever, I guess I'd make it a priority to fly at least an hour every 2 months so I wouldn't have to deal with it...
inigo88
Composite-lover
I don't think anyone is debating whether there should be an initial new renter's check out. I don't even think we're debating currency check-outs after a pre-agreed upon period in the renter's agreement. But if in Chasen's case, that currency check-out is actually MORE in depth than a BFR and costs $500, it becomes unreallisticay and prohibitively expensive.
Perhaps I've always been lucky to be a customer of flight schools that don't require initiation fees or monthly dues, but I've managed to. Even Attitude Aviation (the amazing oasis from the monotany of Cessnas and Pipers that it is) doesn't require any sort of membership fees or dues. They required AOPA's renters insurance for $400 a year, but given the unconventional flying they specialize in I didn't fault them for it one bit.
Perhaps I've always been lucky to be a customer of flight schools that don't require initiation fees or monthly dues, but I've managed to. Even Attitude Aviation (the amazing oasis from the monotany of Cessnas and Pipers that it is) doesn't require any sort of membership fees or dues. They required AOPA's renters insurance for $400 a year, but given the unconventional flying they specialize in I didn't fault them for it one bit.
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