The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) Foundation announced that Lake Missoula Flight Club is the 300th flying club formed as part of its Flying Clubs Initiative.
The club, based at Missoula Montana Airport (KMSO), has 30 members and five airplanes: two Cessna 150s nicknamed “Dimples” and “Sunshine,” a Grumman AA-1C Lynx, a Piper Tri-Pacer, and a Cessna 182.
AOPA Acting Co-President Katie Pribyl, along with AOPA’s media and flying clubs teams, presented the club with a banner to honor the milestone on October 8.
“It’s a group of people who have put together their time, and their money, and their friendships to keep flying, and that is something really special,” Pribyl said. “Putting together a flying club is a ton of work, but the benefits are just as great.”
“A lot of the costs of owning an airplane are the same no matter how much you fly. The hangar, insurance, and the annual cost the same if you fly 20 hours a year or 200. A flying club spreads those costs across a group of people, so everybody pays just a fraction, and you still have access to a real airplane,” Pribyl added. “To me, it’s the most economical way you can own an airplane.”
Local pilots said they’d talked about starting a flying club for more than five years. Member Gus Turner’s grandfather spoke highly of other clubs that used to operate in the area.
“Having a community presence in a flight club is very important,” said Turner. “One of the questions we put on the application to join is ‘Why do you want to join?’ and most people answer with ‘to be part of a flight community,’ which is great.”
Members of the Lake Missoula Flight Club range in age from 22 to 75 years old and include men and women. The AOPA Foundation Flying Clubs Initiative started in 2015 and has helped form clubs in 45 states. To learn more about starting a flying club at your local airport, click here.
