New Flying Club for EAA 31 and 1457 Members

As some of you know, Bill Dewey and I have been knocking around an idea of forming a flying club for our members. It is important to note that the club would not in any way be associated with the chapter as it is not allowed by EAA national. Chapter 31 would simply facilitate the creation and operation of the club but it would be strictly owned  totally by the club members. An aircraft that is seriously being considered as the club airplane is a 1967 Cessna 150G currently owned by a Chapter 31 member, Rusty Bartel. Rusty is building an RV-12 and is willing to sell the Cessna to the club. The airplane has about 4,665 hours total time and 462 hours since major overhaul on the engine. It’s appearance in my estimation is at least an 8 out of 10, maybe even a 9. A quick check on the “Vref” web site shows the value to be around $17,000. So, for example, if the club has 6 members, the airplane could probably be acquired for under $3,000 per member. Of course, there are a lot of other costs involved such as insurance, a hangar or tie-down and maintenance.

This club might also be a way to increase our membership. I, for example, know two people who are not EAA members but have expressed an interest in the club to me. This, by the way, is not something new in our chapter. There have been two previous clubs organized through the chapter. One was based on a Taylorcraft and the other on an Ercoupe. The chapter has the paperwork that can serve as a guide in getting through the mechanics and legalities of setting up and operating the club.

Bill Dewey and I both own an airplane and would not be share holders in the club but we are willing to be the “spark plugs” to help get this thing started if there is enough interest. We just need to get a sign-up list going and then have an organizational meeting to see who is really serious about seeing this club happen. It’s also up to the actual members of this club to decide if Rusty’s 150 is the way they want to go, or if they would rather pursue something else, either a different 150 or another model of airplane.

If you have a serious interest in seeing this club become a reality, please try to attend our next regularly chapter meeting on Wednesday, October 5.

Gary Ludeke

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