Flying 20 Club, Inc.

About the Flying 20 Club   (back to top)

The Flying 20 Club was originally incorporated on June 22, 1940 making it one of the oldest active clubs in the United States.  The original twenty individuals who each put-up $20 to buy a J-2 Cub for $400 formed the club to encourage interest in aviation, to promote safe and economical flying for its members and to encourage and assist its members to advance in the field of aviation.  In recent years the size of the Club has grown to about fifty members and three aircraft.  Members can schedule aircraft at any time, including off-hours and at the last minute.  Reservations are made through Schedule Master, which is accessible via the internet and also through an 800-number.  Some the special features of membership in the Club include:

• The Club does not have (daily/weekly) flight minimums.
• Members are billed tach time (as opposed to hobbs time).
• Each member is permitted to take a plane for one trip of up to two weeks each.
• Each member has his/her own set of keys to the planes.

Through its history the Club has owned many different airplanes including Cessna 152s/172s, Piper Warriors, Archers, Arrows and a Dakota.  Currently, the club owns three planes including a 1980 Piper Archer II, a 2000 Piper Archer III, and a 1980 Piper Dakota.  All the planes are equipped for IFR flight; the two older planes have a Garmin GNS 430, a second 720 channel NAV/COM, dual ILS w/glide slope, marker beacon receiver, mode C transponder (mode S for the Dakota), coupled auto-pilot, backup vacuum system and electric AI, digital V/A, digital EGT/OAT/CHT, vertical card compass, four seat intercom, and electric trim.  The newer plane (the Archer III) has dual Garmin 430s with a coupled s-tec 55 autopilot, stormscope, and downlink weather.   In addition, the Archer II has a Northstar Loran, and the Dakota has a Northstar GPS.  You can see the aircraft and rental rates at the following links:

Archer II 8237B   Archer III 455H   Dakota 8107B   Rates (from our Operating Procedures section)

Prospective members who wish can request a demonstration flight (at a reduced rate) in one of the Club's planes.  Demo flights are conducted by a member of the club.

The club is run (subject to the full membership) by an executive board composed primarily of the club officers and the primary flight officers.  Flight officers ensure that the aircraft are maintained properly and are available to members.

Initial checkouts in the club aircraft must be conducted by one of the Club approved CFIs.  Subsequently, so long as a member is able to act as Pilot In Command, members may utilize any CFI for instruction in club aircraft. 

One of the advantages of joining a flying club like ours is the social aspect.  Members get to know one another at our monthly business meetings.  The club meets on the second Wednesday of every month at 8:00 p.m. at Reliant Air, 1 Wibling Road, Danbury Airport, Danbury CT (driving directions), except for special meetings; one in September or October, and the other in February.  Members and prospective members are encouraged to attend the meetings.  From May through September (pretty much during daylight savings time), club members participate in a Wash 'n Wax program which includes washing and waxing each of the airplanes, after which they are invited to dine on hamburgers, sausages, or steaks prepared by master chef Bob Counihan.  We also hold an annual dinner and dance in the spring.  Spouses and significant others are encouraged to attend. 

The next club meeting will be on Wednesday, April 14, 2010, at 8 pm at Reliant Air.

The Flying 20 Club Pinch Hitter Program was established as a result of discussions at the dinner dance by our flying partners, requesting greater involvement. This successful ongoing program  teaches the flying partner (spouse, daughter, son, significant other) to communicate, navigate and land the plane safely should it become necessary.  As an outgrowth of discussions we've had at meetings, some of our members have made presentations to the club about topics such as the care and feeding of our Lycoming engines, and how to get the most out of the GPS, and some of these presentations have been archived in the library of our web site.  Also on this list are external sites which members have found to be useful, and instruction manuals for some of the equipment the club has.  And now that you've read this far, here is an opportunity for you to get some of our logoware, such as shirts and hats!  Read all about it at the following links:

If you are interested in joining the club, take a look at the "Become a member" link, and visit our library. You are also welcome to apply for membership using our Adobe PDF Membership Application (in new window) or to call our membership Chairman, Brad Freeman at (203) 438-6075.

  Become a member