Established in 1932 the Tauranga Aero Club is a non profit social club for keen aviators, administered by a committee which is elected by the club members. The club owns a number of aircraft – including double seater trainers and four seater cross country aircraft. It also has access to several other light aircraft through commercial agreements. The club rooms consist of the hangar, offices, briefing room, showers and kitchen facilities, fully licenced bar, and the club rooms themselves. Our chief flying instructor and team flight instructors provide all of our training and enables us to open 7 days a week.

The aero club movement was established just before WWII. At the time its charter was to “promote aviation to the wider public”. This still remains a foundation of the club charter today, although aviation is well established in today’s society and there is probably less need to promote the new, exciting, and slightly crazy fad of charging around the sky in biplanes. The club exists today to give access to aircraft at the best rate to club members, as a social club to introduce as many people as possible to the joy of learning to fly and to provide the first step for young pilots aspiring to an aviation career.

Membership of the club is deep and varied. Many club members are private pilots, but there are also 30,000+ hour topdressing pilots, active domestic and international airline pilots, retired 747 training captains, flying instructors, aircraft engineers, and all manner of aviation buffs. The bar is open on club nights every Friday and Sunday and you are welcome to come along and talk shop.