Celebrating our Platinum Jubilee
Founded in 1951, Southport & Merseyside Aeroclub proudly celebrates 75 years of bringing together people with a shared passion for aviation. From its earliest days to the present, the Club has been much more than a place to fly - it has been a community built on friendship, camaraderie and a genuine love of being in the air.
For three quarters of a century, generations of members have enjoyed the unique freedom of recreational flying, shared knowledge and experience, and created lasting friendships both on the ground and in the cockpit. Through changing times in aviation, the Club has remained true to its founding principles as a welcoming, non-profit organisation run by members, for members, where the enjoyment of flying and the strength of the community always come first.
As we celebrate this Platinum Jubilee, we extend our sincere thanks to everyone who has contributed to the Club's remarkable journey - past and present members, volunteers, committee members and supporters alike. We honour the legacy of those who built the Club, celebrate those who keep its spirit alive today, and look forward with confidence to many more years of friendship, flying and shared adventures in the skies.
Welcome to Southport and Merseyside Aero Club website, the home of G-GYAV, Cessna 172 flying club based in Liverpool John Lennon Airport.
The Lowest Cost Leisure Flying from Liverpool!
We are a long established and professionally run members' club operating a Cessna 172N out of Liverpool Airport. Members take the aircraft far and near, for local jaunts and for serious alternative transport - such as visiting the Isle of Man TT Races each year.
The Best Way to Fly
Private pilots are normally able to fly in three ways.
• Own their own aircraft: Ownership costs are typically £8,000 a year or more (before the aircraft has even moved), plus fuel and oil (approximately £50 per hour).
• Hire from a Flying School: A Flying School rented Cessna 172 costs typically £160-£190 per hour in the North-west). Flying School Pilot Order Book Rules normally impose restrictions which significantly limit the flexibility of when and where you can go, and you normally have to fly with them at least once every 30 days to maintain their recency requirements.
• Join a group: Group flying for a Cessna 172 is typically £90 - £110 per month (whether you fly or not) and £60-£90 per flying hour wet. Groups often require a pilot to have at least 100 hours post-PPL flying experience. The cost of buying a "share" is likely to be in the range £5,000 - £10,000 for a reasonably modern aircarft, depending on numbers in the group, but this share can be resold if the member leaves the group.
Southport and Merseyside Aero Club offer a fourth way to fly - the Members Club - which is probably more economic than any of the three above. The club charge for flying Alpha Victor is £1.75 per tachometer unit plus an Annual Subscription. Constraints on members are very few, with recency requirements, destinations to fly to. Read more