After losing access to our old website, we decided to build a new experience from the ground up. We did not want to simply slap a fresh coat of paint on the old site, we wanted to create something that truly improved the experience for our members. The primary goal of this new site is to provide members with the tools to connect, participate, and engage with one another, helping to strengthen the club’s sense of community.
Fostering a community in the modern era
GACE is one of the last true flying clubs on Long Island. Other “clubs” exist in name only and are really just the aviation equivalent of a car rental agency. A real club has a strong community surrounding it, and we want to continue giving our members the means for that community to thrive. We live in an increasingly busy world, and as a new dad myself, I understand the challenge of making time for various interests and obligations. To keep our community strong, we will need to adapt to this busy new world.
The core of this new site is centered on giving our members the ability to participate and engage with one another. One of the features we plan to introduce is a community forum, where members can share ideas for destinations, exchange experiences, ask for advice, and more.
My dad has been a member of GACE since his days at Grumman, and I was fortunate enough to grow up around general aviation and eventually join the club myself as a pilot. I remember plane washes as whole family affairs, with members bringing food, grilling on the flight line, sharing experiences and stories from past flights, and bouncing around ideas for future ones. While I would love to see some of that spirit return, I also recognize the demands of today’s busy world and hope we can create a modern adaptation of it online.
Improve communication
Communication is critical to a strong community and it is a two way street. Not only does the club need clear communication from the board, but members also need to be able to communicate with the board and with each other. Some of you have expressed feeling disconnected from the club, and we hope to turn that around with this new site. This site will serve as a hub to find events, proposals, and quickly connect with the right person to share feedback or raise concerns.
You may have already noticed the Event Calendar added to the site, which includes the dates of our Plane Washes and General Meetings. We hope this will help those of you who wish to participate more but need additional time for planning. In the future, we also plan to add other events such as hangar training sessions with the club’s A&Ps, fly-ins, and other aviation-related gatherings members may want to attend together.
AircraftClub’s email system has been notoriously unreliable lately, and some of you have expressed frustration about missing updates or event announcements. In addition to email, we will also be posting important updates, bulletins, and information in this News section. Some of this information will not be public, and you will need to be logged in to your account to view certain updates.
Continuing & expanding our mission to educate
The first of GACE’s founding principles is “Advancement, encouragement, and teaching of safe and economical flying.” As pilots, we are continually learning, and one of the greatest benefits of a club is the vast array of experience and knowledge we can share with one another. In keeping with this core tradition, we are planning to add a Knowledge Center for our members in the coming months.
The idea behind this feature is to provide easily accessible, short-form content on topics such as proper ground handling, basic aircraft maintenance, avionics tips and tricks, and explanations that are not always covered in depth by POHs. Our goal is to promote safer flying while also helping to keep our aircraft in good working order. In the long run, this will reduce costs from unscheduled maintenance issues, freeing up club funds to invest in more enjoyable initiatives.
At some of our general meetings, we already feature training modules presented by members and guest speakers. We are working on a way to record these sessions and make them available for the entire membership, so those who cannot attend in person can still benefit from the information shared.
Wrapping Up
This new site is just the beginning. As we move forward, our goal is to carry the strong traditions that built GACE into a new era of growth and connection. By blending the best parts of our history with innovations that make it easier for members to engage, we hope to create an even stronger and more vibrant club for our members. Together, we can build on what has made GACE special for decades and ensure it thrives well into the future.
This website is also a community-led effort with various members already helping to contribute to it. If you have ideas for new features or would like to lend a hand, please feel free to reach out to me (Andrew Kallinikos).