As of September 1, 2025 the following information is current.
MEMBERSHIP COSTS:
- Joining fee: $100
- Monthly dues: $150
- Cessna 172 usage fee: $100 per tach hour wet.
- Ercoupe 415-E usage fee: $80 per tach hour wet.
City and state sales taxes are already included in the joining fee, dues, and usage fee. The hourly tach rates are “wet rates,” which means fuel (and taxes) are included in the rates.
FAQ:
- How is the club’s Cessna 172 equipped?
The 1956 straight-tail Cessna 172 is powered by a 145 HP Continental O-300. It had its venturi vacuum system removed and its AI/DG replaced with a uAvionix AV-30-C. The AV-30-C controls a uAvionix tailBeaconX combination transponder and ADS-B Out and receives traffic data from a wingtip mounted ADS-B In uAvionix skySensor. The skySensor also provides traffic and weather to your tablet or smart phone EFB via WiFi. Includes a standard comm radio, VFR instruments, and EGT and CHT gauges on one cylinder. Empty weight of 1304 lbs (2200 lbs MTOW) yields a useful load of 896 lbs and full fuel (37 gal usable) payload of 674 lbs. Good for three adults and luggage.
NOTE: In September the airplane is scheduled to have its avionics upgraded to fly IFR. Primary navigation and communication will be a Garmin GNC 355. Two more AV-30-Cs will be added. - How is the Ercoupe equipped?
The 1948 Ercoupe 415-E is powered by an 85 HP Continental C85. Has standard VFR equipment and a uAvionix tailBeacon. Empty weight is 911 lbs (1400 lbs MTOW) yields a useful load of 489 lbs and a full fuel (24 gal) payload of 345 lbs. - Can I take overnight trips in the planes?
Yes! The main objective of the club is to allow members to schedule a plane when you need it for as long as you need (within reason.) And there are no minimum daily charges. By contrast, renting a plane for a week from a flight school is secondary to its mission so often can’t be done unless booked a couple weeks in advance. With only a few members the schedule for our airplane is often wide open. If someone else has booked a plane when you would like it you may be able to negotiate a schedule change with that person. - Can I use the planes for business?
A member may use the planes for business travel so long as the business use is incidental to the use of the planes. Please see the AOPA article Flight Incidental to Business for one explanation of “incidental to business”. - I don’t have a pilot license – can I join the club and use the planes to earn a private pilot certificate?
Yes – our club bylaws were changed at the end of 2024 to allow students as members. However, the club is not a flight school and it is up to the student pilot to arrange training with a club approved CFI. - Where are the airplanes located?
The airplanes are currently based at the Rapid City Airport and hangared with Westjet Air Center. - If they are at Rapid City Airport, wont I need to apply for an AOA Badge and have to renew it every year?
No! It’s a hassle to renew those badges every year. Because members access the planes via Westjet Air Center they are treated as itinerant pilots for security purposes. When you want to fly you just call Westjet and ask them pull the plane you want to fly from their heated hangar. When you arrive you go through their FBO offices to get access to the plane. Same ease of use on return: park the plane in front of their FBO and ask them to top off the tanks and put the plane back in their hangar. - Do I need renter’s insurance to pilot the planes?
No! That’s a savings to members of hundreds of dollars per year if purchased individually. As a club member you will be added as a named pilot to the club’s insurance policy which also makes you one of the insured. The planes are covered for hull and liability with a $500 not in motion deductible and $2500 in motion deductible. - I’m interested, but may I examine the airplanes before joining?
Absolutely. In fact we insist. Email to us at info@pactolaflying.club to set up a time to examine the planes. - Who owns the planes?
The planes are leased from members of the club. - I have other questions or concerns about the club, including its future plans and such before I submit an application.
Email us with your concerns or questions. Members are in charge and can change any aspect to which they mutually agree. Because it is a non-profit members will be expected to pitch in and help in keeping the club operating smoothly, including offering suggestions on improvements or changes.
HOW TO JOIN:
Read and and the fill out page 14 of the Pactola Flying Club Membership Package form (the underlined green text is a link to the PDF form.) It contains the bylaws and operating rules and is best filled out using Adobe Reader and then emailed to us at info@pactolaflying.club . There is no cost to apply and no obligation is established. Your submission will be kept confidential. (Much of the annoying intrusive information is required by the insurance company when a new member is added as a named pilot. We wouldn’t know what to do with much of the information they seem to require.)
ABOUT US:
The Pactola Flying Club is an aviation social club encompassing the eastern area of the Black Hills of South Dakota. It is open to anyone who has at least a student pilot certificate. The club was incorporated as a South Dakota nonprofit corporation in January 2023. It began flight operations in March 2023 when it signed a one year lease to a 1972 Cessna C-150. In March 2024 it signed a lease to a 1956 C-172. The club began with a five member limit but now allows up to ten members. When that limit is reached we will add applications to a waiting list and alert applicants when a position opens.