Free tool

Club dues and hourly rate calculator

What to charge so the year covers itself, and how the split between dues and hourly changes who your club is affordable for.

Your club or school

Hangar, insurance, annuals, software, admin.

Total across all aircraft.

Fuel, oil, and reserves.

The rest comes off the hourly rate.

Buffer for the unbudgeted squawk.

Monthly dues

$78

Per member

Hourly rate

$114

$95 variable + $19 toward fixed

Revenue target

$28,080

Fixed costs plus 8% cushion

A member flying the average 33 hours a year pays $4,727, or $142 an hour all-in. Dues alone cover 65% of fixed costs, so that share is covered whether or not anyone flies.

Where to set the dues share. High dues make revenue predictable and protect the club in a bad-weather year, but they push away low-time members who feel they are paying for hours they do not fly. Low dues make membership easy to sell and leave the club exposed when utilization drops.

Most clubs sit somewhere between 50 and 70 percent from dues. Schools usually run lower, since students fly enough that the hourly rate carries the fixed costs on its own.

Deciding between a wet and a dry rate changes the variable number above. The wet vs dry calculator compares the two, and starting a flying club covers the structure around it.

Aloft360 bills dues and hourly time together, tracks who flew what, and shows utilization per aircraft so these numbers come from your own data rather than an estimate. Start a free trial.

Dues and rates FAQ

How much should a flying club charge in monthly dues?
It follows from your fixed costs, your membership, and how much of those costs you want covered before anyone flies. Take annual fixed costs, decide what share dues should carry, divide by members and by twelve. Most clubs land between 50 and 70 percent from dues, which for a single-aircraft club is commonly $75 to $150 a month.
Should dues or the hourly rate carry the fixed costs?
A mix, and where you sit is a real strategic choice. Dues-heavy makes revenue predictable and protects you in a low-utilization year, but deters occasional flyers. Rate-heavy makes membership easy to sell but leaves the club short when weather or a grounded aircraft cuts hours. Clubs with reliable year-round flying can lean on the rate; clubs with hard winters usually cannot.
What cushion should we build in?
Five to ten percent above known fixed costs is a common starting point. It absorbs the unbudgeted squawk, the annual that runs long, or the insurance renewal that comes back higher. This is separate from the engine reserve, which should be in the hourly rate rather than the cushion.
How is a flight school different from a club?
Schools usually run a lower dues share or none at all, because students fly frequently enough that the hourly rate carries the fixed costs on its own. Clubs have members who fly ten hours a year alongside members who fly a hundred, so dues spread the fixed costs across both.
Does the rate need to include an engine reserve?
Yes. The overhaul is the largest single bill you will face and it arrives as a lump sum. Build the reserve into the variable cost per hour so it accumulates with use rather than becoming a special assessment.

Related tools

Wet vs dry rateEngine reservePartnership splitCost of ownership