And Oregon boasts some of the finest GA flying schools on the west coast. It has helped motivate me to stay current. As a second pilot in our household, it would be very easy to become the perennial passenger. When pilots share the cost of aircraft ownership or leasing, it saves money and can offer convenient scheduling. A well managed flying club can also promote safety.
Clubs can also hold their members to high standards.
The Tillamook Pilots Association owns a Cessna 172, and requires proficiency checks from a CFI, regardless of hours and ratings every 90 days to use the aircraft. Certainly in aviation magazines, you will have noticed an emphasis on the need for pilots to brush up on their slow flight skills. According to Gordon Read of the Portland Flight Standards District Office loss of control during takeoff and landings is the number one NW Mountain Region source of aviation accidents. In a recent visit to NE Oregon where airports are usually above 3,000' in elevation and temperatures often above 80 degrees, I found myself learning anew the slow flight dynamics of a heavily loaded C-172 were not what I expected. Contributions are tax-deductible to the full extent allowed by law.