On cloud nine: sky’s the limit for members of Galway Flying Club

Lifestyle with Judy Murphy –  Experienced pilots take the  sting out of cost by taking  newbies under their wing 

There is something strangely soothing about looking down over Galway City from the confines of a four-seater Cessna airplane, even if the small craft is being buffeted by winds that are unusually strong for this time of year.

The views over the city, Galway Bay and the surrounding countryside are glorious – the Docks look incredibly neat and well laid out, while the contrast between the boggy land to the west of the city and fine farmland to the east can be seen in a totally new light. As for the sea, with apologies to James Joyce, this great whirling pool of ‘snot greenness’ is a sight you’d never get to see from the shoreline or even a boat.

It is for views such as these, and for the sheer freedom offered by flying that members of Galway Flying Club are contented to sit in their clubhouse at Galway Airport on a wet and windy Sunday morning, waiting for the weather to improve, so that they can take to the air.

It’s a sociable clubhouse, with a plenty of tea, freshly brewed coffee, scones, fruit cakes and the Sunday papers. Some members are chatting, others such as chief instructor Cormac Carey are catching up on paperwork – flying might be a hobby for these people but it’s one that is highly regulated for obvious reasons of health and safety.

Flying is often regarded as an expensive pastime and while it may not be as cheap as knitting or painting, it’s doesn’t have to strap you financially, according to club member JP Randles, who is currently working towards getting his Private Pilot’s Licence (PPL). He points out that members come from all walks of life – farmers, heart surgeons, taxi drivers, teachers and mechanics – and from many nationalities.

JP, who works as an engineer with Covidien Medical Devices in the city, has family responsibilities and work commitments, so he is happy to work for his licence over a two-or three-year period, which makes it financially easier.

There is an initial fee of €600 to join the flying club, similar to a golf club and for similar reasons. There are hangars and two aircraft to be maintained because without planes, it’s difficult to run a flying club! That one-off fee gives a person a share in the club, once they pay annual membership of €295.

Annual membership covers insurance, maintenance and clubhouse costs as well as subsidising the hourly fee for flying the aircraft, which is €160. That’s to cover the running costs of the plane, and most of it goes on aviation fuel, says JP.

You need some 45 hours of flying time to sit for a pilot’s licence, but these hours can be built up over several years, JP explains. So, once you can budget, it is possible to follow your heart’s desire over, say, a three-year period.

For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.