pilots

OFC is focused on providing you with good value for your dollar. While we try to keep costs as low as we can, we are also keeping our quality and safety at a very high standard. Try as we might, it is hard to avoid the increasing costs of operating a flight school. One thing is certain, we make a poor bank.

Over the last year we have been lenient in letting members and students maintain a small balance owing with us but we can no longer do so. In the last month you may have noticed Dispatch asking you to pay the outstanding amounts before you fly and we appreciate that you have.

In the next week, we will be instituting a more rigorous dunning process. (Dunning refers to the process of collect money owed to us.) You will notice the following:

• As currently happens, Dispatch will be asking for payment of outstanding amounts before they provide you with the key to the aircraft for your next flight. After the flight they will also be collecting payment.
• If this is not possible, Dispatch will try to collect the payment using the credit card information kept on your file later that night. Where the credit card on file is not able to make the payment, an e-mail will be sent to you asking you to fix the situation and make the payment
• After seven days, another e-mail reminder will be sent and again after 30 days.
• If the account is still outstanding after 60 days, we will sell the amounts outstanding to a collection agency.

I realize the last point sounds a bit severe in a friendly club. However, experience shows that if we don't receive payment within 60 days, the chance of ever receiving payment is pretty low. We have a number of accounts outstanding that are approaching two years and I don't want the number to grow.

The vast majority of members and students keep their account at zero or even maintain a positive balance on their account. We really appreciate this as it helps us run the business effectively while we provide you with value for your money.

If you have any concerns on this policy, please contact me through the contact form.

Mike McKay
CEO

The Ottawa Flying Club is a fantastic place to fly.

Stop dreaming. Start Flying!

The Ottawa Flying Club, or OFC for short, was originally founded in 1928 and given the mandate to promote aviation in Canada through flight training and support for general aviation. We have remained true to that vision for over 80 years, training thousands of pilots over the decades while providing a supportive and friendly environment for our members and students.

As a club, we provide our members with safe and cost effective access to the Ottawa International Airport and to our fleet of aircraft but, more than that, we provide a connection with aviation, with planes and people who share in the romance of flight. While many of our members are students who are with us for a short period, our sustaining members include people who have been with us for over 65 years. These people have an absolute love of aviation and the Ottawa Flying Club is dedicated to sharing that sense of romance with others.

It all starts with learning to fly. That first flight, the first solo, the first cross country flight. These are once in a lifetime events that live in memory for years and add to the excitement and romance of flight. There is a culture and language to it. An entire body of knowledge and skill. A never ending but entirely pleasant and challenging quest to learn more and to get better in a way that develops humble pride.

Over the decades, the Ottawa Flight College has trained thousands of pilots, many of whom went on to careers in aviation. Despite the romance and love of flight, flight training requires a professional approach with the utmost focus on safety. Recognizing this, the Ottawa Flying Club has created a division called the Ottawa Flight College which provides high-quality and safe flight training in a professional manner to all club members whether they have career aspirations or just want to learn for fun. The Ottawa Flight College offers full-time, part-time or casual programs and can train pilots from ab-initio (have never flown before) to multi-engine IFR. Visit the Flight Training Programs section of the Ottawa Flight College website for more information.

If you are curious and would like to experience flying for yourself we offer an Introductory Flight that will give you the chance to experience what flight training would be like in our aircraft. We also provide sightseeing tours of the local area for up to three people. Call us today to make an appointment: (613) 523-2142 and press 0 to speak with our Dispatch staff.

Membership has its benefits and Ottawa Flying Club members have access to our fleet of aircraft for rent and to frequent seminars, movie nights and social events. More importantly, members get to participate in our challenging cross-country trips. Club members have organized trips of with four or five aircraft to California, Bahamas, Florida, both coasts and many other destinations. These trips provide are both an adventure and an excellent way to build experience and confidence that you won`t find at other clubs.

As a social center, the Ottawa Flying Club Café & Lounge provides a comfortable place to spend the day with free wifi. The Café (open from 9am to 2pm) provides all day breakfasts and an excellent selection of Asian cuisine.

Stop by and visit us today. Everyone is welcome!