IFC is a non-profit flying club of approximately 30 members based at DuPage County Airport in West Chicago, Illinois.  The club owns and/or leases 3 aircraft, which are then made available to the club members at the lowest possible cost.  The flying club has been in continuous operation since 1975.
 

The primary club objectives are to provide social and recreational opportunities to aviation enthusiasts, promote aviation safety, expand skills of member pilots, share costs, pool member resources to fly club aircraft at very reasonable rates, and keep high-standards in maintaining club aircraft.
 

Some of the charter members resided at what was formerly known as the "International Village Apartments" in Schaumburg.  That informal connection has long since been severed, but the club name continues.
 

We are incorporated in Illinois as a tax-exempt non-profit organization.  Club aircraft and other aviation activities are available to members at-cost.  Directors meet monthly to set club policies with input from all the members.  Club officers are volunteers who handle the day-to-day operations.  Nobody is allowed to profit or receive income from club operations.  Club elections are held yearly for all positions.  Each regular club member is considered to be an equal owner with full voting privileges.
 

Amazingly well.  Though scheduling conflicts do occur, they are actually quite rare.  When conflicts do occur, members are often willing to change plans slightly to help each other out.  We have a web-based scheduling system that allows members to get immediate feedback on aircraft availability.  Everyone is able to fly as much as they like.
 

A billing sheet reflecting the accrued member dues and charges is mailed out once a month.  Advance payments are not required.  There are no hidden club assessments for fuel surcharges.  Current aircraft rates are posted on the web site and published in the monthly newsletter.  Hourly rates include the cost of fuel and are based on Hobbs time for both Cessna 152 and Piper Warrior, and tach time for the Piper Arrow.  Member payments are expected within 30 days of account billing.  When considering where to find the best deal, look at application fees, monthly dues, and rental rates.  Discounts are available for student pilots and for advance purchase of block time.  Our club does not require equity share transactions, nor do we assess the members any extra surcharges.  Security deposits are promptly refunded upon request.  A club with low overhead expenses means big savings, and you get to enjoy flying at rock bottom prices.
 

Definitely not.  Members are not responsible for maintenance expenses.  Fuel is purchased at discount in bulk quantity, so club expenses for the current year are known, there is no need for additional member assessments.  The club is immune from the annual summertime hikes in aviation fuel prices.  There are no surprises in what members owe the club or in the cost of flying our aircraft. 
 

Tach time will usually read a bit less than the hobbs meter, however it is subject to some variations depending on the nature of each individual flight. Tach time is calibrated to the engine running at cruise speed. While cruising, the tach, hobbs, and real time should closely match. When doing cross-country trips, we see a tach ratio of over 90% in our aircraft compared to hobbs, from ramp to ramp. When doing training as in slow flight, pattern work, or lots of taxi time, we see a tach ratio of around 80% compared to hobbs. If we were to charge flights based on tach time, we would have to increase our rates to compensate for the difference that tach on average runs somewhat slower. And then a higher share of the cost burden would fall upon those doing cross-country trips, which we view as undesirable since cruise flight is preferred and much easier on the engine. Hobbs treats the time equally for everyone regardless of what type of flying they may be doing while using club aircraft. This keeps the billing simple and also matches your own log book. It's easy for us to calculate the actual club expenses and to pass through the maximum savings to all the member pilots. Overhead we all incur for taxi time, radio work, and low-power operations has already been factored into reducing the aircraft rental rates, since the club has no profit motive to overcharge anyone. Given equal rental rates, tach time would of course be preferred, but that would not be the case when renting our club aircraft. So there is no advantage to be gained by using tach time since the flying rates would otherwise be set correspondingly higher. If your heart desires to use tach time for billing purposes, we can quote you what the adjusted rental rates would be, expect about a 15-20% increase, which makes the cost per hour of flight time logged just about the same using either accounting method. Don't be misled by claims that using tach time will save money, to do a proper cost comparison and to determine the best value, you need to convert the rental rates based on the type of flying you plan on doing.
 

No.  The club provides both liability and hull coverage for all active members with an Avemco insurance policy.  Most of the members do not carry any additional insurance.  Members are "named insured" - meaning you are fully covered when flying club aircraft, except for deductibles.  The cost of the club insurance policy is built into the membership dues.  We maintain the maximum available limits on our club policy.
 

Nothing unreasonable.  New members must take a pilot check ride, but otherwise there are few restrictions beyond the currency requirements for the club and the FAA.  For full details, see the club bylaws/rules.
 

Many members have done this.  As long as you are putting a reasonable number of flight hours on the plane, this is allowed and even encouraged.
 

The planes are kept well maintained with 100 hour and annual inspections, along with any other maintenance as needed.  Maintenance work is coordinated by club officers and crew chiefs.  Club members pay no additional charges for any aircraft repairs.  Non-urgent squawks and other suggestions are discussed and planned for at the club meetings.
 

Reservations via the web-based scheduler is the preferred method, but it's also possible to schedule via telephone or email.
 

There is a monthly club meeting on the first Thursday of each month to discuss all membership issues, set club policies, and to plan future activities and events.  The club publishes a monthly newletter to share information with the membership.  FAA safety seminars are frequently held at a local restaurant.  Fly-outs are often planned for group lunches and dinners.  There are pizza nights, barbeques and other social gatherings.  We actively participate in the Wings Program and the Oshkosh Airshow.
 

The application steps are quite easy.  There are no minimum flight time requirements.  You do not need to be a licensed pilot.  Student pilots and other aviation enthusiasts are welcome. There is a small application fee and security deposit, but there is no need to buy or sell club equity shares.
 

No, the flying club is a non-profit organization controlled by its members, we are not an FBO or a Flight School, we do not offer aircraft rentals to non-members.  Only active members in good standing may reserve and use the club assets.  Only approved members are covered by the club insurance policy.  The club insurance policy does not cover commercial operations.
 

Many members have earned their wings and advanced ratings in club aircraft.  We know quite a few authorized instructors that may be contacted by members.  These instructors have lots of experience and do so because they enjoy teaching, they are not hot-shot pilots trying to build up their flight hours at your expense.  Members negotiate their own fees with the individual flight instructors.  These fees are always very reasonable in comparison to commercial operations that have a much higher expense overhead.  Many of the CFI's are also members of the flying club. 
 

The club is a not-for-profit organization and is not in the commerical business of providing flight instruction and pilot training.  However members can hire their own CFI for flight instruction with club approval, or private arrangements can be made with any CFI who also happens to be a club member.  The club can assist you in contacting flight instructors that have been pre-approved.  Members who have CFI ratings cannot provide training to non-members in club aircraft.  The CFI does not need to be a club member, however the student receiving instruction must be. Commercial type operations are not covered by the club insurance policy, they are not allowed by the Internal Revenue Code for tax-exempt organizations, and they are in violation of the DuPage Airport Regulations for flying clubs.  We encourage CFI's to join the club so that they are protected by our insurance policy for any incidents the may occur while providing instruction to club members.
 

Select option "print background colors and images" found under page setup in browser.