After I got my license at Inflight, I wanted to now take trips to different cities. As Inflight is a flight school, their planes are always busy. It is really hard to be able to rent a plane for an entire day, let alone a weekend or longer. While I continued to rent from them and go for short sightseeing trips with friends and family, I started looking for other clubs or partnerships.

My first stop was on Facebook to network with other pilots in the area. I found out that I had very limited options. There were a few pilots who were also looking to be able to own a share in a plane. As I discussed with them, it turned out that the costs can be extremely variable, depending on multiple factors. Primarily, these can be: a) what type of plane we buy, b) how many partners are involved, c) how frequently I am  able to fly. Another option I found out was joining a club where they have already been operating, so costs are easier to predict. Unfortunately, all clubs I reached out to had waiting lists for years. 

While I was exploring different options, I saw a post of someone selling their share at Club Cherokee. I started researching them and found out they had recently opened up their membership for new members as their planes were being underutilized. The club had been in operation since 1987, so I could be comfortable that they were knowledgeable about how to minimize costs and keep their planes in good shape. I visited with them during a social hour and talked to a few board members. Due to privacy, they could not disclose their financials, but I could tell that they had kept the planes and the club in good shape. I was able to get a glimpse of their scheduling app, and I could tell that plane availability is not an issue for the members.