Lately, the flying club initiative here at AOPA has been hearing from more clubs—at all kinds of airports—running into the same challenge: trying to build interest before there is an aircraft to point to.
At busier fields, there are still chances for people to stumble across a club through flight schools, FBOs, or general airport activity. But at quieter airports, especially rural ones, that kind of exposure is much harder to come by. Without an airplane on the ramp, a club can be almost invisible.
What often catches clubs off guard is that growth slows not because interest is not there, but because awareness never forms. People who would be a good fit simply never realize the club exists.
The Elephant in the Room
The biggest challenge clubs raise is also the hardest one to work around. Not having an aircraft yet makes everything feel harder and well, it is.
Without an airplane on the ramp, recruiting feels abstract for prospective members and uncomfortable for club leaders. There is nothing flying, nothing visible, and no obvious sign of progress. Student pilots will also be confused by what a flying club is. Even when a club is organized, motivated, and doing the right work behind the scenes, the lack of an aircraft makes it harder to be taken seriously and harder to keep early interest from fading.
Many club leaders know this. The reality is that an airplane changes the conversation. It gives people something concrete to picture and something that signals the club is real. Until that happens, interest tends to be cautious, and momentum can feel fragile.
Limited Organic Discovery
At many airports, discoveries do not happen by accident.
This is especially true at quieter or rural fields where there are fewer transient pilots, fewer events, and less day-to-day activity. If someone is not already looking for a flying club, there may be no natural moment when they learn one exists.
In those environments, a club can be active and well organized and still remain largely unknown. Without intentional visibility, even interested pilots in the surrounding area may never connect the dots between wanting to fly more and the club that is already forming nearby.
Why Visibility Can Stall Quickly
At quieter airports, there are just not many chances for a club to be noticed.
Fewer people are around, fewer events happen, and fewer casual conversations take place. If someone is not already looking for a flying club, there is often no moment where they stumble across one.
From the outside, it can look like interest has dried up. In reality, people and the club just are not crossing paths.
Fewer Built‑In Recruiting Channels
Some airports naturally generate leads through flight schools, busy FBOs, or an active local pilot community. Others do not. Clubs operating without these built‑in feeders must create awareness intentionally rather than relying on foot traffic or referrals.
Growth Feels Risky Without Capacity
Even when clubs want to grow, recruiting can feel like a gamble. Leaders worry about getting ahead of themselves and having more interest than they can support. Questions about aircraft availability, instructors, or how many members is “too many” often come up early.
That hesitation makes sense. But it can also lead clubs to go quiet during a phase when visibility matters most. The clubs AOPA see move through this stage most successfully do not wait for everything to feel settled. Instead, they rethink what recruiting looks like before capacity is fully in place.
First Solution: stop thinking of this as “recruiting”
For clubs without an aircraft yet, recruiting is not about adding members right now. It is about making sure people know the club exists, believe it is real, and remember it when the timing is right. Clubs that make this shift stop feeling like they are failing and start seeing progress in smaller, quieter ways.
Second Solution: make it easy to find you, even if nothing is flying
A lot of clubs assume recruiting means constant outreach. In reality, most of the problem is discoverability. If someone hears about the club and goes looking for it, they should be able to figure out quickly who you are, what you are building, and how to get in touch. That alone solves a surprising amount of the visibility problem. Perhaps a website or a Facebook group.
Third Solution: show signs of life that are not tied to an airplane
Clubs that do well without an aircraft still signal momentum. Meetings are happening. Planning is happening. Decisions are being made. That progress does not need hype or timelines, but it does need to be visible enough that people do not assume things have stalled.
Fourth Solution: keep interested people in orbit without asking for commitment
The goal is not to convert interest into members right away. It is to avoid losing people completely. Clubs that keep light, low‑pressure contact with interested pilots do not have to start from zero when an aircraft finally arrives. That makes the transition much smoother.
Using AOPA Resources to Stay Visible and Build Momentum
Clubs do not have to figure this phase out on their own. Many of the clubs we work with use AOPA resources to stay visible, credible, and connected while flying is still ahead.
Keep meeting, even before flying starts.
Clubs that continue to meet regularly signal that they are real and moving forward. Meetings give interested pilots a reason to engage, ask questions, and get to know the leadership without pressure to commit. We often see clubs use early meetings to build culture, align expectations, and show progress that has nothing to do with an aircraft yet.
List as an AOPA Club in Formation on the Club Finder.
For many pilots, the Club Finder is the first place they look when they are considering a flying club. Being listed as a club in formation helps solve the discoverability problem and gives prospective members a clear place to learn who you are and what you are building. Even without an aircraft, a visible and accurate listing signals intent and credibility.
Use the “Max Fun, Min Cost” presentation to introduce the club model.
Clubs do not need to invent their own pitch or try to explain the flying club model on their own. As part of the AOPA Flying Clubs Initiative, I regularly deliver the Max Fun, Min Cost presentation to pilots and airport groups who are curious about how flying clubs work.
The presentation walks through why the flying club model exists, how it is typically structured, and what makes it sustainable, without tying the conversation to a specific aircraft or timeline. For clubs that are still forming, it provides a clear, realistic way to introduce the idea, generate interest, and set expectations without overpromising.
Use webinars or informal online sessions to lower the barrier to entry.
Some clubs reach interested pilots through webinars or virtual Q&A sessions, especially when distance, weather, or schedules make in‑person meetings harder. These sessions give people a way to meet club leaders, hear the vision, and ask questions without committing to a drive or a decision. We often recommend this approach when clubs want to stay connected during slower periods.
Use FAAST presentations to create visible airport activity.
FAAST presentations give clubs a reason to bring pilots together at the airport and create legitimate, purposeful activity even before flying begins. Both Cade and I are FAAST representatives, and we frequently support clubs by using FAAST events as a way to build awareness and credibility. At quieter or rural airports, these events can be one of the most effective ways to signal that something real is happening.
Stay connected through the AOPA Flying Club Network.
The AOPA Flying Club Network Facebook group gives clubs a way to stay connected to the broader flying club community during this early phase. Clubs use the group to ask questions, see how others are handling similar challenges, and avoid feeling isolated. For prospective members, it reinforces that the club is part of a larger, active network and not starting from scratch.
None of these approaches require overpromising, fundraising pressure, or having an aircraft on the ramp. What they do instead is keep the club visible, credible, and connected during a phase that often lasts longer than expected.
When an aircraft does arrive, these clubs are not starting from zero. They already have awareness, relationships, and momentum in place, which makes the transition smoother and more sustainable.
