Getting Pilots Together To Enhance Safety... And Save Money!

by ANN Correspondent Scott Wagner

Founded in 2006, the Safety Pilot Club is an online community consisting of pilots looking to find a co-pilot to accompany them on a trip, a qualified safety pilot for instrument training, or just someone to share the joy of flying with. Student pilots might also find a mentor in their area, who can guide them thought the rough spots of flight training.

SPC owner and founder Joe Riehle originally came up with the idea while he was training for his instrument rating and doing freelance website development. He discovered the financial savings of flying with a safety pilot instead of flying with a CFI. He also discovered just how hard it was to find qualified pilots interested in providing this valuable service.

"A lot of pilots find the same problem I had, in that the expense of flying becomes prohibitive to enjoying their hobby"," said Riehle.

Riehle also notes the website is easy to navigate, and contains many features so members can get more involved with the pilot community. With a current membership of over 600 pilots, the club and website are growing, and member feedback has been very positive. "Members are looking for other pilots near them, and due to the newness of the program, that's been kind of a hurdle. Another problem has been with time conflicts. Since this isn't my full-time job, I haven't been able to devote as much time to marketing as I would like."

Recent additions to the site include an "Events" section, where members can post fly-ins and poker runs, and other aero-centric activities. Currently, this is done by contacting the webmaster, but at some point registered users will be able to post events directly. Also new are message boards, where users can interact with and ask questions of each other, as well as instructors and mechanics. A variety of other boards include opinions about buying a plane and the everlasting high wing/low wing debate.

Student pilots have been taking advantage of the boards to get advice from seasoned aviators. Interestingly, members can also post a link to their own websites. Since many users have aviation-related businesses, they can use the SPC to drive business to their websites. Future enhancements include sub-groups, such as EAA members, Cessna owners, or even local flying clubs.

Riehle acknowledges that the club isn't for everyone. "There are a certain percentage of pilots who have the money to fly as much as they want, and aren't interested in sharing the costs. They are willing and able to pay for an instructor to fly with them to maintain proficiency. There are a lot more folks who struggle to fund their flying, and can really use a service like the Safety Pilot Club to help keep them active."

Current cost for an annual subscription to the site is $9.95, but those joining before September 1, 2007 can get a lifetime membership for $14.95. Members have a full profile complete with personal bio, pilot information, and a blog. This information will be searchable only by other members of the network, so third parties and spam-bots will not have access to member information.

Communications between members is done via in-site messaging, similar to MySpace messaging. Users can opt to make their email address available publicly.

FMI: www.safetypilotclub.com