Flying clubs in the DFW area

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ki4lzk

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Joshua Jones
Hello Everyone,

My wife and I will be moving to DFW towards the the first part of June. We are looking for houses in Mansfield and I will be working in Ft. Worth. What flying clubs would you recommend?

Thanks

Josh
 
ki4lzk said:
Hello Everyone,

My wife and I will be moving to DFW towards the the first part of June. We are looking for houses in Mansfield and I will be working in Ft. Worth. What flying clubs would you recommend?

Thanks

Josh
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What are you looking out for out of the club? Joint ownership opportunities? Camaraderie?

If instead of Mansfield you wind up on the north side of the metro-mess, there are some additional opportunities.
 
I have noticed that a lot of the clubs that look like good opportunities are either at Addison or in Ft.Worth. Camaraderie with a few different aircraft would be nice. I haven't been a member of a club in the past but I feel with moving to a new area it would be a great way to meet people.
 
My wife will work in Grand Prairie and is nervous about traffic. That is predominantly why I like Mansfield. They also seam to have a great school district.
 
i am in a club called six for a six at Meacham.
Great group of folks.
feel free to pm me if you have any questions.
older website, but six4asix.com will give you an idea.
 
Probably too far for legitimate convenience, but at Addison, you'll find the RFC Dallas Flying Club (the RFC used to stand for Rockwell Flying Club, but no more).

3 Bonanzas, an Arrow and a sweet Cherokee 180. Great bunch.

Www.rfcdallas.com
 
Spike, Gator... what's the name of the group at RBD? The one that has a Bonanza, a Cub, and something else..?
 
Josh;

Another resource is the EAA Chapters. There are several very active ones in the areas you mention.

While not equity or non-equity rental opportunities, you will make some really good aviation connections. Perhaps there is a non-advertised co-owner opportunity that wouldn't be found otherwise.
 
Sorry to say it, but if I owned Mansfield and Hell, I'd rent out Mansfield and live in Hell.

If your going to commute to downtown Fort Worth you'll soon agree.
 
You may want to look in my neck of the woods. With the new tollway, I can be in Fort Worth quicker than I can be in Crowley. Cleburne is decent with a fairly nice airport.
 
Well the biggest reason we are looking is Mansfield is my wife will be working in Grand Prairie. She wants a 15-20 minute commute. The biggest thing I don't like about Mansfield, and I think I will have this problem anywhere in the area, is the proliferation of the HOA.

Mike, I am a member of the EAA and can't wait to be involved with an active group!
 
You know, commuting to Grand Prairie from Oak Cliff (Dallas) is not bad, and there are some seriously beautiful places to live there, and no HOA.
 
Other ideas:


Both are a bit further on the driving commute, but very pretty communities. And did I mention they have a runway in the middle of the development?

Also take a look at
  • Southlake
  • Trophy Club
  • Colleyville
  • Roanoke
  • Keller
  • North Richland Hills (NRH)

Mansfied is also getting stuck with more and more industrial zoning. Lots of the Auto Salvage yards are relegated to that area. For someone who can afford flying, it's not the neighborhood I would associate with such an individual.

+1 to various areas around Oak Cliff and Joe Pool Lake.
 
Lest we forget

rhps_007Denton.jpg
 
NRH and Granbury have been my primary choices but I don't know that my wife wants to commute that far. We have a couple Doctor friends that live in Mansfield and my wife has really enjoyed that community.

AS far as Denton, I would love to live there. Once again, I don't think it would be conducive to the commute.
 
AggieMike88 said:
Other ideas:


Both are a bit further on the driving commute, but very pretty communities. And did I mention they have a runway in the middle of the development?

Also take a look at
  • Southlake
  • Trophy Club
  • Colleyville
  • Roanoke
  • Keller
  • North Richland Hills (NRH)

Mansfied is also getting stuck with more and more industrial zoning. Lots of the Auto Salvage yards are relegated to that area. For someone who can afford flying, it's not the neighborhood I would associate with such an individual.

+1 to various areas around Oak Cliff and Joe Pool Lake.
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When I think of living in Mansfield, I guess I think of the nicer houses on a few acres outside of town. There are some nice places, but the surrounding area is going downhill some. Arlington is growing, thus the ghetto must grow and move too.
 
AdamR that is my vision and what we are looking into. We have found several properties in the 4-6 acre range.
 
ki4lzk said:
AdamR that is my vision and what we are looking into. We have found several properties in the 4-6 acre range.
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There are still some nice places then, although the closer you are to Arlington, the more issues you might have. I used to live in a decent part of South Arlington that was locally known as North Mansfield. Between 07 and 09 it went to hell. Vandalism went nuts, cars started getting broken into and stolen. I moved down south a little to avoid it. There is a small air park in Godley, my girlfriend was telling me that one house had a for sale sign on it. I can swing by later and see if I can grab some info if you want. Of course Godley is a tiny little town, and they roll up the sidewalks on Sunday.
 
ki4lzk said:
AS far as Denton, I would love to live there. Once again, I don't think it would be conducive to the commute.
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If the start and end time of work can be shifted to 7:00a-3:30p, and you learn which roads to take, you can be in GP within 25-30 minutes from Denton. Especially now that the GBT reaches well into GP. That's a 70MPH road and it's very rare to hear of any snarls on the main through lanes. Just the off ramps connecting to the other highways.

35E between LBJ and Hwy 380 is in year 1.5 of a 4.5 year major expansion project. There might be some increased snarls during this period, but when it's done, it should handle the current and growing volume for many years to come and do it quite well.
 
We may have to look up by Denton then! I was thinking it was 45minutes to an hour. Those work times are close to what she will work. How are the school districts around Denton? Our first child will be here in April and these are now questions that are important! :)
 
ki4lzk said:
How are the school districts around Denton? Our first child will be here in April and these are now questions that are important! :)
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The only reason we live here
Well maybe 80% of the reason.

They are outstanding
 
I spot checked it a couple times this morning. Today's traffic was average.
Average time to get from my house to GP today showed 39-45 minutes

Traffic on 35 can get hairy but you can see the alternate route straight through DFW airport is shorter. Check traffic before you leave and decide then.

Denton to GP
https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Gra...0f90d823f4!2m2!1d-97.0853347!2d33.1258258!3e0

Commute to Ft. worth will be about the same.

Not gonna lie there are days where the commute gets bad. Lots of opportunity for wrecks covering that distance on major highways but if you can work early or late hours, it shrinks considerably
 
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If you do come up to this side of the metroplex, then I can answer your original question.

SixFourSix you know about.

At 52F, Northwest Regional, there is Aerovalley Flying Club.

At KDTO, there is the club I'm involved in, Metro Flyers.

Our group is small (16 total members, only about 5 or 6 flying regularly and 3 or 4 occasionally, the rest dormant) and we have 2 very nice aircraft, a 1975 Cessna Skylane 182P and a 1966 Bonanza V35 with a newer engine (replaced 2 years ago) and a new avionics panel (Aspen, GTN750). Dues are $300/month and cover all fixed expenses and reserve funds. Usage cost is $110/tach hr wet on the 182P and $130/tach hr wet on the Bo.

We have two members looking to sell their share. Likely about $3000-3500.

When you're back this way, let me know and we can share food/beverage/stories and I'll let you check out the aircraft.
 
Mike,
We will be in the area the second week of January. What are the insurance minimums?
 
SixPapaCharlie said:
Not gonna lie there are days where the commute gets bad. Lots of opportunity for wrecks covering that distance on major highways but if you can work early or late hours, it shrinks considerably
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We have our delivery truck making the Denton >> FTW >> Mid-Cities >> Dallas >> Denton on a daily basis. Timing the departure to avoid the major traffic snarls is key. So far, the earlier, the simpler.
 
ki4lzk said:
Mike,
We will be in the area the second week of January. What are the insurance minimums?
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As in experience?

For the Cessna, basic PPL, high horsepower endorsement, and ability to fog a mirror. Checkout with an instructor familiar with type required, and you can get your endorsement at same time.

Bonanza, 200 hrs Pilot in Command, HP and Complex endorsement, and checkout with an instructor familiar with type required. On a case-by-case basis, you can work with our insurance agent to get the PIC time requirement reduced if you already have your IA and/or have completed the BPPP.

For the instructor, we have a really good CFI who was a former member and is very familiar with our birds. He is our preferred guy. But there are others in the area we know and like, and you can use them if you wish.

Training for new ratings in our aircraft is permitted. I've been working on my IA in the Cessna. Another member recently finished his in the Cessna. And a third recently did his CP in the Bo.


Long distance travel in our birds is permitted. And we have no daily minimums or overnight charges. We just ask to not book the aircraft for a week and then just fly 45 miles away.
 
Don't go north if you work south
 
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ki4lzk said:
NRH and Granbury have been my primary choices but I don't know that my wife wants to commute that far. We have a couple Doctor friends that live in Mansfield and my wife has really enjoyed that community.

AS far as Denton, I would love to live there. Once again, I don't think it would be conducive to the commute.
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NRH, please don't. Completely surrounded by a giant traffic jam most of the time. I had a house there in the 90's, good bye, and good riddance. 183 will still be a parking lot even after all the construction. Tollways are your friend for a fast commute, but do the math. Toll charges can quickly add up and may make a more expensive house a better deal.
 
Where in Ft. Worth are you?
 
josephbelt01 said:
We relocated to Fort Worth from PA last year. I was commuting 1.5hrs to DC one way and now I'm spoiled with my 15 minute commute. Finding good schools is important even if it means adding a bit to the commute. Our oldest is in 2nd grade and the other is due in February. So, where does everyone meet up? We haven't found the aviation "community" here yet.
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I'm in Lake Worth, 7 minutes from Meachem....

Let me know when you wanna go up or have a burger.
 
josephbelt01 said:
We're renting a place in CityView / Benbrook until we learn the area better. Lake Worth no kidding? I'd enjoy grabbing a burger. Our usual spot has been a short hop over to The Beacon Cafe at Hicks. Fortunately, the wife enjoies aviation as much as I do, so there's never an objection to $100 hamburgers. Are there any other good local spots I should check out?
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Ardmore, Stephenville, Bridgeport for cheap fuel, Addison (museum and food), Cedar Mills (3T0) lunch and grass strip, etc. What are you interested in?
 
Alexb2000 said:
Ardmore, Stephenville, Bridgeport for cheap fuel, Addison (museum and food), Cedar Mills (3T0) lunch and grass strip, etc. What are you interested in?
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Add Rocking M when Walt's got the gumbo pot cooking

Also Red Barn at Sulphur Springs. Skyline Cafe at Tyler-Pounds, Babe's Chicken Dinner in Roanoke
 
Someone pick a weekend morning for a blue hangar cafe breakfast.
My schedule is a cluster at the moment so I can't schedule it.

It is decent food and a good place to plane watch
 
josephbelt01 said:
HA! I was just there with my kid today for lunch. Lockheed is closed for roughly the last 2 weeks of the year which is great because school is closed as well. I'm off so I can spend the daycare money on avgas instead. ;) New Year's Eve, no air traffic, and the place still had a dozen people in there. It was our first time there - had the avocado jack burger. Good stuff.

I'm in. Let's set something up.
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Also you have to get over to Hicks and eat at beacon cafe.
That food there is outstanding.
 
lots of good folks around here into aviation.
I moved near TCU from Manhattan in May of 2011. Many of the people I socialize with I met through a shared love of aviation. Some of the "natives" get together quite often. Apparently Walt's place is the "mecca" although i have yet to drop in..

There is also a good bit of "cross polination" with local clubs. As an example, I have been shooting a bunch of approaches lately with a great young pilot who is a member of Aggie Mike's club in Denton. (I bet you are ready to see that engine on the 182 mike!- looks like our Six..)

Also, if you are on the southside, you should go meet Jake Huffman at Spinks. He runs a great school and is hands down the best instructor I have ever flown with. (also a top notch guy- ex BUFF pilot)

Check out the DFW pilots.com board as well. great people.

all that being said, you gotta make the effort..

anyone up for a formation to Lockhart, Taylor, or Llano later this month?

Happy new year,

Rick
 
I am very ready to have 55WB back on the line. Sitting in the cold hangar making airplane noises is getting very old.

I've encouraged TC to consider obtaining his CFI credentials. I believe he would make a good one!

And I'll take right seat for one of the trips you want to do. Be cool to sample some of the other well known BBQ joints.
 
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