Lake
Lake Missoula Flight Club Becomes Three Hundredth AOPA Foundation Flying Club
Missoula, Montana welcomed its newest aviation organization as the Lake Missoula Flight Club launched to mark a major milestone for the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association.
According to General Aviation News, the newly established group operates out of Missoula Montana Airport located in Missoula, Montana, holding the distinction of being the three hundredth club created through the AOPA Foundation Flying Clubs Initiative. A banner presentation took place on Oct. 8, 2026, featuring AOPA Acting Co-President Katie Pribyl alongside other representatives from the organization. Local aviators had discussed establishing the organization for upward of five years prior to its formal opening.
The roster currently includes thirty participants whose ages span from twenty-two to seventy-five years old, comprising both male and female members. Participant Gus Turner noted that his grandfather spoke highly of previous groups that once functioned in the region, while also emphasizing the significance of having a local aviation community presence. Turner mentioned that applicant forms inquire about the motivation for joining, with the majority responding that they wish to be part of an aviation community.
The organization maintains a fleet consisting of five aircraft, featuring a Grumman AA-1C Lynx, a Piper Tri-Pacer, a Cessna 182, and a pair of Cessna 150s affectionately named Dimples and Sunshine. The Grumman American Aviation AA-1C is a certified, single-engine aircraft featuring a two-seat cabin configuration designed for flight instruction and personal aviation, possessing a maximum take-off weight of 680.0 kg, a wingspan of 7.46 m, an engine power of 80.6 kW, a cruise speed of 201.0 km/h, and a range of 785.0 km. Meanwhile, the Cessna 182 is a certified, four-seat, single-engine aircraft utilizing tricycle landing gear and an all-metal aluminum alloy structure, with a maximum take-off weight of 1406.14 kg, a wingspan of 10.97 m, an engine power of 171.51 kW, a cruise speed of 268.54 km/h, and a range of 1722.36 km.
Pribyl addressed the financial realities of aircraft ownership, noting that expenses such as insurance, hangars, and annual inspections remain constant regardless of whether an aircraft logs twenty hours or two hundred hours annually. By pooling resources, time, and friendships, members can share these fixed expenses so that everyone pays only a fraction while retaining access to a real aircraft, which she described as the most economical ownership method. The broader initiative began in 2015 and has successfully assisted in the creation of clubs across forty-five states.
Currently, PlaneFile lists 414 Cessna 182 aircraft and 2 Grumman American Aviation AA-1C aircraft for sale.
Sources: General Aviation News