Text Box: Flight Training Cost Comparison Text Box: Monthly Fee All members pay a monthly fee to cover the fixed costs of insurance and hanger rent, about $140 as of December 2006, and this entitles them to fly the Warrior and the two Arrows. In addition, the members who fly the Lance pay an additional monthly charge of @$100 to cover the incremental insurance (see insurance discussion) and hanger rent costs of the Lance. The fixed costs are constant and distributed among active members, so as a new member joins the monthly fees decreases, and as a member departs the charge increases. In the past two years the monthly fees have ranged from about $110 to $150

Rates
Text Box: Aircraft Hourly Rates Members pay an hourly rate, based on tach time, not Hobbs time, for use of the aircraft. Use of tach time instead of Hobbs time usually results in a 10% lower-than-Hobbs time for cross country flights, and 15 to 20% lower-than-Hobbs time for local training flights. As of December 2006, hourly rates were: $85 for the Warrior, $110 for the Arrows, and $145 for the Lance. Rates include fuel. These rates are established and revised periodically to cover debt service, fuel price changes and maintenance reserves. These rates are in line with comparable local market FBO rental options. Text Box: Prospective members, especially student pilots without previous ownership experience, frequently ask about the cost comparison between Artisan Flying Club and a flight school. If you fly 40 to 60 hours per year the out-of-pocket cost is essentially the same, the difference is the intangibles. Here are the assumptions: A student pilot can normally complete training in one year, in about 50 to 60 hours. The cost of the flight instructor and ground school is the same at a flight school or at Artisan Flying Club. Since our trainer is the Piper Warrior, an IFR GPS equipped four passenger aircraft, we compare against the local FBO's IFR capable C-172. We take the member share price out of the equation, since the members treat it as a personal asset, redeemable at the member’s option upon withdrawal from the Club. With those assumptions in mind, the equation is something like this: Artisan Flying Club:  60 hours of flying time (on the Hobbs meter), but charged as 51 hours of tach time, at $90, or $4590, plus the monthly fees (12 months at $140, or $1680), for a total of $6270. Local Flight School:  60 hours of C172 rental at local flight school at $105 per hour, for a total of $6300. The point is not that one is more expensive than the other, but rather that the out of pocket expenses are about the same.  It is the intangibles that make Artisan Flying Club a smart choice. As an Artisan member, you get: the same, well equipped and well maintained aircraft for every training flight scheduling convenience and flexibility so the aircraft is available almost whenever you and your instructor need it Excellent facilities, including comfortable hangers and a well equipped lounge, to make pre and post flight briefings pleasant and comfortable Artisan Flying Club members who will encourage and support your training, answer your questions, share their experiences, and welcome you as a guest on their own missions to provide you with real flying experience.