The main reasons why you would want to join the Rochester Flying Club are:
AOPA recommends that all owners and renters have insurance. As a member of the club, you are covered by the club's insurance policy. This can save you hundreds of dollars a year compared to buying renter's insurance. Our insurance policy provides
Compare this with a typical rental policy
And that rental policy with only $60 Thousand hull coverage (which is less than the appraised value of any of our planes) will cost you $925 a year, which is as much as your annual fees with our club. If you want $80 Thousand hull coverage (approximately equal to the value of our Archers) in a renters policy, expect to pay $1,100 a year.
The Rochester Flying Club operates on a non-profit basis, so our rates are based on the true cost of flying and maintaining our fleet. The costs are recalculated frequently to make sure they are reflecting current fuel and maintenance costs and trends. See the "Rates" section for more details.
Aircraft fees are charged as wet tach hour. The term "wet" means that fuel and oil are included (you get reimbursed if you have to fill up off-field). Many FBOs and clubs charge by Hobbs hours which start when the master switch is turned on or when the engine starts. Tach hours are usually less than Hobbs hours, because they don't start running until the engine is started, and the lower the RPMs, the fewer tach hours you use per hour. For most of our aircraft, a tach hour equals a clock hour when the engine is running at 2400rpm. This can be a significant saving (20-30%) while training because you spend a lot of time at low RPMs.
If you're a prospective student member, read this section
All aircraft are fully equipped with communication and navigation equipment and are IFR-certified for instrument conditions. The club puts a priority on maintenance and all "squawks" (reported problems) are addressed immediately by the volunteer maintenance coordinators for each aircraft.
As a Pilot, you are allowed to fly any aircraft that you meet the club, insurance company, and FAA requirements to fly.
To see what planes we own, and how they are equipped, go to the "Our Fleet" section for more details.
The club allows you to take the aircraft away for overnights, summer weekends and longer trips. We have a few restrictions in order to ensure fairness. Those restrictions are under review right now, so they aren't detailed here.
The main goal of these scheduling restrictions is in order to give preference to Students for the Class I aircraft, and to give preference to long distance travel for the Class III and IV aircraft.
We currently have about 32 Pilot and Student members, and 3 planes. We attempt to keep the ratio of planes to pilots at between 1:10 and 1:15. Over the years, this has been shown to be the best compromise to keep prices down, utilization high, and member satisfaction high.
The club is careful to not hold itself out as a social organization. However, pilots will be pilots, and members frequently get together to go flying, or just "hangar fly". See the Trip Reports section for examples.
The advantages of being based at Greater Rochester International Airport are detailed in the "The Airport" section
More information about our scheduling system and rules can be found in the "Scheduling" section
If this has convinced you to join the club, and we hope it does, you can call our answering machine at (585)234-9132 or email the club's V.P. of membership, Scott Erb to set up a meeting with the club officers to discuss your application. You'll need to fill out a membership application ahead of time, and bring copies of your pilots license, medical, and drivers license. You may be asked to bring your log book as well.