In the 1999 film “Fight Club” with Brad Pitt and Edward Norton, we learned that the first rule of Fight Club is: “You do not talk about Fight Club.”
The founders of Flight Club have turned that rule on its head: “The first rule of Flight Club is you have to tell everyone about Flight Club.”
So says Mathew Fernandez, who launched Flight Club in Canada in 2020 with co-founder Ehsan Monfared. Flight Club recently expanded into the United States.
Flight Club, like so many things in life, was born of necessity.
After buying his own airplane, Fernandez decided to rent it out to other pilots to help minimize his costs. Once he put the word out, he received more than 70 responses in just three days from pilots wanting to rent his plane.
He quickly discovered that navigating six or seven different software programs to handle aircraft management, billing, scheduling, maintenance, and more was cumbersome and inefficient.
“I knew there had to be a better way to manage this,” he says. “I started designing a program on my own, but then I had legal questions. That’s when I reached out to Ehsan.”
Ehsan Monfared is a lawyer, a commercial pilot with multi and instrument ratings, and serves on the Communications Committee of the American Bar Association’s forum on Air and Space Law.
As the pair worked together, they discovered many pilots who were also interested in renting airplanes and aircraft owners who were interested in renting out their airplanes.
That’s when Flight Club was created as an Airbnb-like general aviation rental coordinator.
“Before I knew it, more and more people wanted to join,” says Fernandez, CEO of Flight Club and a captain in the Canadian Armed Forces with an MBA in business.
How It Works
Flight Club presents a place where aircraft owners who want to rent their aircraft can find pilots looking to rent aircraft.
“Do you fly your aircraft 40 hours a year or less?” Fernandez asks. “Renting out your aircraft can offset the costs of insurance, annuals, and hangar rental. Flight Club can also manage a flying club’s scheduling, invoicing, and pilot qualifications.”
There’s also advantages to pilots looking to rent aircraft, he notes.
“With Flight Club you get the chance to fly aircraft that are loved by their owners and fly closer to home,” he says.
“We are looking for longer relationships rather than one-time rentals,” Fernandez continues. “Pilots apply, do a check ride, and that check ride is valid for a year. Many owners may still request a ride-along with the renter just to see that they know how to handle and land the aircraft.”
For those looking to rent an aircraft, they start on the website, where they can search aircraft and locations.
Once you find one you’re interested in renting, you request to fly it. If you meet the owner’s requirements, you’ll be approved to move on to the next step: An open book exam and a check flight with an instructor.
Once you successfully pass those requirements, you can book the aircraft.
According to Flight Club officials, the club’s rental prices are often less expensive than those from FBOs or flight schools.
For example, there’s a Cessna 150 in Hickory, North Carolina, for rent for $115.50 an hour. Want something with a little more speed? There’s a Cirrus SR22 in Pompano Beach, Florida, for $440 an hour. Or how about something a little different, like a Seamax M22 in Port Orange, Florida, for $193 an hour.
“We had 140 listings before SUN ‘n FUN,” Fernandez reports. “We had more pilots approach us, so we have more listings on the way. We have offices in Florida and Texas, as well as Canada. Most of the planes are single-engine land. We have some twins and a few seaplanes.”
Working with Assured Partners and Global Insurance Solutions, Flight Club offers special fleet policy coverage for owners who rent their aircraft. Alternately, pilots can carry a non-owned insurance policy to cover the rental aircraft.
Flight Club charges pilots a 10% fee of the amount paid to aircraft owners.
Since its founding, Flight Club has processed more than $1.14 million in transactions, according to company officials.
Pilots who have used Flight Club are fans.
“Flight Club provides a platform like no other in the industry,” says Chengxi Shen. “The platform allowed me to rent an aircraft and stay current even when I’m not home. I also meet great like-minded aviators while renting their plane.”
For more information: FlightClub.life
