In the 1950’s four men wanted to make flying more affordable. They soon combined their cash for a down payment on an Aeronca Champ and named themselves the Bald Eagle Flying Club. By the sixties, they had outgrown their Champ and upgraded to a Cessna Skyhawk. During that time, club membership was a mere $10 per month! Over 50 years later, the club is still thriving and continues to be an inexpensive flying option for pilots. Today the club is the proud owner of two Cessna 172s and a newly acquired Van’s Aircraft RV12.
The Bald Eagle Flying Club calls Portland International Jetport (KPWM) in Portland, ME their home. With rates under $100 an hour wet, member pilots find themselves flying more often than before. Safety is a top priority for the club and two of the club board members also perform duties as maintenance officers.
To join the club all a pilot needs to do is complete an application in addition to one of the following four items:
- Have a current member you know sponsor you – you may indicate the name of your sponsor in the application below.
- Attend a meeting and introduce yourself. Meetings are held every third Monday at 7:00 PM in the Communications Center Conference Room at the Portland International Jetport, KPWM.
- Arrange for an interview with a board member. Board member contact information may be found here.
- Download and complete the Portland Jetport SIDA badge application – needed for ramp access. Application may be found here.
While several carriers will easily insure a club with multiple Cessna 172s, Bald Eagle Flying club discovered a predicament when they decided to purchase the Van’s RV12. They currently had their aircraft insurance placed with direct writer, Avemco, who would not add the Van’s RV12 to their insured fleet. It was time to find a new aircraft insurance route. That’s when the club approached aircraft insurance agent and pilot, Chris Wolbert of Aviation Insurance Resources (AIR).
Unlike direct writer, Avemco, AIR is a broker that represents all the major aviation insurance markets. When Chris shopped the markets, he was able to provide Bald Eagle Flying Club the broadest package of protection at the best available rate-including the Van’s RV12!
AIR insures all things aviation: from flying clubs (no matter the size) to corporate fleets and even balloonos! Most importantly, all the agents at AIR are pilots themselves. To obtain your aircraft insurance quote complete a quote request online or call 301-682-6200 today!
