I just moved to the area a month ago from Tennessee. As I am still a
student pilot, I wanted to be able to finish up my training and also be
able to rent an airplane for a weekend here and there.

I chose Charlotte Flying Club due to their selection of airplanes (26,
including DA-40, SR-22, 2 Symphony's, Aztec, Bonanza's, Pipers,
Cessnas). They are very particular about their aircraft and many planes
geared for X-Cntry flight (like a PA28-180) contain equipment like a
moving map GPS's (i.e. Garmin 396 in this Piper).

Once I got there I was very happy with the instructors there. I have
flown with two different instructors and both are great people, and fun
to fly with. They are based out of 4 airports in the area, but Concord
and Monroe are the most popular due to proximity to the downtown area
(Concord is 20 min. NE, Monroe is 30 min. SE of Uptown Charlotte)

And when I am done in 4 - 6 weeks, I won't feel bad taking someone
else's training aircraft for a weekend since there is a large pool to
pull from.

The due's can seem high, but I think the availability/quality of the
aircraft, convenience of the location (to me) and professionalism of
the staff sold me.

Good Luck! And welcome to Charlotte!




Mortimer Schnerd, RN wrote:
wrote:
I've been lurking here for almost a year now...
I may be relocating to Charlotte, NC. Any recommendations
on flying clubs or FBO's at nearby airports? Tips on cool
places to fly to would be great also.


I've always flown out of Rock Hill, SC (KUZA), which is about 15 miles south of
Charlotte. One runway (5500' X 100') with an ILS. The airspace is just outside
Charlotte's Class B, so you can scoot to everywhere but the north without
talking to ATC. Even going north, as long as you stay on the SC side of the
river, you're OK.

I really like the folks at Rock Hill Aviation. I can't say the same for some of
the earlier owners.

http://www.flyuza.com

They've got a couple of Alarus(es), 4 C-172s, one new Archer, and older Arrow
III, and a Seneca for rent. Most have GPS.

There's also the Charlotte Flying Club, which has a bunch of aircraft based at
Charlotte (KCLT), Monroe (KEQY), Gastonia (KAKH), and Concord (KJQF). Dues
start at $50/month but you can apply half of that to aircraft rental. Dues are
at different levels related to the types of aircraft. While the basic level is
$50, if you want to fly light retracts like Arrows or Cutlasses it goes up to
$200/month. Heavier retracts go for $250/month and 6 pax aircraft (including
twins) run $350 for just the monthly dues. Like the basic level, all levels of
membership allow you to apply half of the monthly dues towards rentals. Click
on the link below to explore their actual rental charges, which aren't all that
bad.

In comparing the prices to Rock Hill, remember to factor in both the dues and
the fact that the club quotes dry prices compared to Rock Hill's wet prices.

http://www.flycarolina.com/theclub/Clubinfo.htm

Of the two, CFC definitely has the widest selection of aircraft. OTOH, it ain't
cheap.

There's a second airport in Charlotte proper (Wilgrove) which has a decent fleet
of mainly older Cherokees. They have prices listed for both members and
non-members. I haven't been out there in many years, mostly due to the fact
that it's on the northeast side of town and I live in the southwest. There's
also some very interesting antennas not too far away from the airport. But
that's just me.

http://www.wilgroveairport.com/wilgrove.htm




--
Mortimer Schnerd, RN

VE