My recent flight down to M23 and time spent there doing some hangar flying with the locals, including the president of the Newton Flying Club, has given me the bug to join a club, and probably theirs. Not only are they an affable bunch, but they seem genuinely interested in helping me gain more experience. I felt a real kinship with them, unlike anything I had experienced heretofore.

This led me to question, what are the advantages of joining a flying club? I ran across a website of one such club that outlined several:

• Insurance - Many clubs include insurance coverage in their dues.
• Inexpensive flying - Believe it or not the Newton Flying Club has a fairly new 172 that's been upgraded to a 180 and offer hourly rates of $35!!!! While that's cheap by anyone's standards the truth is rates are generally less expensive that rental rates offered at FBOs.
• Well maintained safe aircraft - The plane at this club I'm considering joining is extremely well-maintained.
• The ability to take an aircraft for an overnight or longer trip - I could book that plane for a short flight or longer junket if I so desired.
• Good airplane to member ratio so planes aren't hard to book - Many clubs have a small number of members and may even have more than one plane.
• Contact with other pilots and flying enthusiasts - To me, that's a benefit that you can't put a dollar figure on. To hangar fly with long-time pilots and learn from their experience is invaluable.
• On-line and telephone plane booking, for maximum availability and scheduling flexibility - Even this small club in a rural town offers telephone booking.

It's seems only prudent, especially for those of us with limited funds, to join a club. The Newton club's initial fee is $1,000, but they often offer reduced rates to encourage membership. Their monthly dues are a mere $70 per month and that includes one hour of flying time. The hourly rental at my FBO starts at $65 for a 152. A 172 is $95, and the Arrow is $115. Even those rates are cheap by today's standards, but come nowhere near the $35 per hour at the club.

I'd really like to get your viewpoint on club flying. Please feel free to leave a comment telling of your experiences and opinions.