More About our flying Club
Downwind Flying Club was established in 2017. The vision of the club was to grow into a vibrant community of like-minded aviators. We began with a Piper Archer (N384HS). The group of four original members quickly grew to 10 within less than 12 months which prompted discussions for a second aircraft. A Turbo-Arrow (N3543M) was brought into the club in 2018. The commonality between the airframes has helped people transition to the much more capable aircraft.
The Archer is a very strong (180 hp) entry level aircraft that is equally happy flying regional cross country or doing instrument training.
In short flying clubs exist as a compromise between renting an aircraft and owning one. A flying club offers three unique benefits:
1.) Reduced cost of Flying: Flying clubs spread out the cost of owning an aircraft amongst a group of people which makes it significantly more cost effective than owning an aircraft. Additionally, the non-flying aspects of owning an aircraft are distributed amongst the group. Compared to renting aircraft, flying clubs can be more cost effective to renting. At Deft Flying Club, those who fly regularly (more than a couple hours per month) will see a cost reduction.
2.) Advantages of a Fleet: People who own an aircraft must make compromises when choosing the aircraft to purchase. Invariably, there will be a day when the aircraft purchased will be less than capable than the mission for the day. What happens even more often is that the purchased aircraft is more capable than the typical mission. For example, if someone purchases a six-seater and rarely ever uses the back seats then they spend a lot of extra money and fuel for all those flights with just one other person unnecessarily. In a club, there is access to a fleet of aircraft instead of just one.
3.) Camaraderie of Club Members: One of the biggest surprises to new club members is how quickly they get assimilated into the group. It's something that neither renting nor owning provide. The group of members is always out the to support other members. From safety pilots to checkride pointers; you'll have a group of friends supporting your aviation goals.
For those of you who want to know more about flying clubs and how and why they exist, please visit the AOPA Website for more information.
There are a few things that set Downwind Flying Club apart from other flying clubs:
1.) Non-Equity Club: One of the foundational pieces of this club was our early decision to intentionally never own our aircraft. When a flying club organizes this way, it is called a non-equity flying club; As a member you never build up any equity in the club. There are some negatives to this non-equity approach, but Downwind Flying Club has chosen that the benefits seem to far outweigh the drawbacks.
2.) Schedule: Another thing that sets Downwind Flying Club apart from other clubs is that we are a little obsessive about the schedule. Scheduling is the fulcrum of a flying club. According to the AOPA, the largest factor in the success of a club is managing the schedule. We are extremely conscious of this. The finances of this flying club are a balance. As the ratio of members per aircraft increase, the membership dues decrease correspondingly, but there will be more scheduling conflicts. There will be a magic ratio that it is unique to every club that will determine the ideal balance. Finding that balance is a process of trial and error. Every new club member will change the balance in a way that previous members had not. The variation is based on the new member’s unique flying habits (weekend warrior?, training flights?, long x-country trips with overnights?).
Downwind Flying Club is committed to keeping the balance tilted toward lower member/aircraft ratios. We accept slightly higher monthly dues in order to have better access to the aircraft.
3.) Growth: Perhaps the most unique attribute of our flying club is that we are in growth mode. We strive to improve the range of aircraft in our fleet and invite more pilots into our cadre. We will bring on more aircraft in the near-term future and intend to grow steadily for the foreseeable future.
4.) Hours per Member: a nuanced difference of our club is that our finances are structured to encourage active flying members. We set our hourly rate as low as possible so that members are encouraged to fly. Our monthly dues are higher than most other clubs, but our hourly fees are kept, absolutely, as low as practical.
5.) Training - DFC expressly prohibits any form of "time-building." In the past, these types of flights have led to increased maintenance demands, scheduling, congestion and unnecessary incidents with club aircraft. DFC was established as a social club that promotes aviation and shares the pleasure of flying with other like-minded members in the general aviation community. "Time-building" does not support our mission.
Furthermore, while the DFC encourages members to improve their skills and pursue new ratings that will enhance their capabilities as pilots, it is imperative that any training completed in club aircraft benefit the club and further our mission. With this in mind, all training flights and programs, to include check-rides for new ratings, must be approved prior to scheduling.
Club Mission:
Downwind Flying Club is a community of pilots banded together by their diverse fleet of aircraft. The Club has an unwavering commitment to fun, safe, and efficient flight. The club will advance airmanship, passion for aviation, and relationships amongst its membership. Deft Flying Club is an oasis community of aviators of all experience levels who are constantly tasked with learning from each other and keeping our aircraft in top operational condition. Standards are consistently high, cost are kept low, and technology is embraced to create the deftest aircraft ownership experience possible.
Club Core Values:
-We value fun flying because: Safe flying is fun. The more we fly, the safer we become as pilots. Proficiency promotes fun flying, which reinforces safety in a cycle. We encourage this cycle by enhancing it with low hourly costs and a educational safety culture.
