I have to think there would be more flying activity if non-owners had access to nicer aircraft. A friend who tried to get motivated to get back into flying after a 20-something-year hiatus ended up throwing his budgeted rental money to a new motorcycle because he couldn’t find a flight school rental that he felt was worth $150 per hour. “These aircraft are rough around the edges,” he told me. I guess it ain’t easy climbing out of a new Lexus and plopping your Dockers on a ripped Cherokee seat. But what about owners who keep decent aircraft parked because they can’t afford to fly them? The management at California-based Plus One Flyers—the oldest and largest flying club in the country—believes it has found the ultimate solution to both problems. It has nothing to do with making a profit, but more about sustaining aircraft ownership. Plus One’s president Tom Reid calls it the magical triangle that’ll work for any flying club.
