Membership

Crosswinds Flying Club welcomes new members anytime. If you're a new pilot, existing pilot or even a potential student pilot, our club is the place to be.

If you're interested in joining, here are a couple of things you might want to know:

New Member Steps

First, you'll need to print and fill out the membership form (opens in a new window) and provide proof of citizenship. You can either fax the form in or bring it with you to the membership meeting. You can also complete the PIF form that is described in the Existing Member Steps section below. Crosswinds requires new members to attend a board meeting before they are eligible to join. At the board meeting, you'll meet the board members, see our aircraft (if they're not out flying), and get any questions answered.

Existing Member Steps

Crosswinds Members are required to complete a Pilot Information Form (PIF) annually. The form can be downloaded and printed here. You can view the instructions and requirements (Flight Rule #25) here. One of the requirements is to include your registration for Illinois Department of Transportation Division of Aeronautics. You can download the form from IDOT here.

Note: You'll need Adobe Reader to view and print the forms above.

Membership Categories and Rates

We have three (3) Categories of membership. These categories are based on our aircraft types. When you join the club, you select the category, and are then eligible (after you pass a check ride with one of our Fight Instructors) to fly the aircraft in your category (plus whatever aircraft is in the previous category). Each category has a different Initiation Fee (see table below).

Our main Flight Instructor (CFII), is Ron Kelley. Ron is an exceptional CFII who regularly performs our members' biannual reviews and check rides. Feel free to contact Ron, via e-mail (ronk@crosswindsflying.com) if you have questions.

Monthly dues are calculated on a fixed fee plus 2-hours of time (called basic) on the aircraft in your category. So if you are in Cat 1, then your monthly dues are: $75 (flat rate dues) + ($45 x 2) = $165. You can use two (2) hours of time you paid in your monthly dues or bank them to a total of 24 hours. The reason we charge the 2-hours, in monthly dues is to promote the use of the planes.

* As of August 2006.

Student pilots have an initiation fee of $250 and are only eligible to fly Category 1 aircraft.

So, using the table above, if you are joining Crosswinds in Category 1. The cost to join would be the Initiation Fee ($500) + your first month's dues plus basic ($165) = $665. After that, you pay $165 per month for the monthly dues and basic.

After you fly the 2 hours of time you paid as basic in your monthly dues, you can purchase additional time for the aircraft you're eligible to fly in.

** As of August 2006.

Our aircraft rates are calculated as a dry tach hour. This means that members are required to fuel the planes themselves after flying. 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. A tach hour equals a clock hour when the engine is running at 2400rpm. Because you spend a lot of time throttled below 2400rpm, this can be a significant saving (20-30%).

We charge per dry hour because fuel prices vary significantly from day to day and from airport to airport. See our links for information on 100LL fuel prices.