billjenkins
11-27-2011, 09:03 PM
I am offering up a suggestion for a new EAA sponsored program that I believe would benefit our community, and I'm hoping to generate some discussion and feedback on the idea.
Most EAA members are familiar with a ubiquitous problem: How do we expand our recreational flying beyond the occasional fly-in and the $100 hamburger at on-airport restaurants? For example, have you ever wished you could make a quick trip downstate to that barbecue restaurant you discovered in a small town a couple years back? Or, spend a Saturday afternoon with your nephew and his kids who live 150 miles from an airport with rental cars but only 15 miles from a small town airfield?
A basic challenge recreational aviators face, after the hangar-talk sessions are done, is how to actually fly to and visit an interesting destination. Local transportation solutions are too rare! Large airports have rental car agencies. Some airports with FBOs have "courtesy cars" that are appreciated by pilots who know about them and use them. But for the thousands of small, and frankly, more interesting airfields, there is simply no way to spend time traveling in the local area after tying down.
In some metropolitan areas there are emerging systems called "Car Sharing" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Car_sharing) that allow people occasional access to a car without having to own one. Metropolitan car sharing seems to be growing, although slowly, and some of the leaders like ZipCar have gained quite a bit of publicity.
Could the EAA create a Car Sharing system that positions cars for rent at many local airports where none exist today? It would be a cool way to use the strength of the EAA community to solve the local transportation problem.
An EAA car sharing system would make cars available to registered members for their occasional use. Following the example of Zipcar and others like them, technology would be heavily leveraged to create the system.
Renting an EAA Shared Car:
- Using the Internet members can apply to rent cars, be registered and approved, all online. An annual fee may be required.
- Members can login to a website, locate available cars, reserve one and pay for the rental.
- When a member arrives at their reserved car it can be unlocked for access by using their cellphone.
- Members who rent a car can provide feedback on the usability of the car
Supplying an EAA Shared Car:
- Members can apply to supply a car they own into the system. These cars would typically be "old beaters" that are safe and run reliably.
- Car owners earn rental credits based on the rental history of the car
- Car owners are free to use the car when it is not reserved, and must suspend it in the reservation system before doing so.
- Cars in the system are equipped with a cellular unlock accessory provided by the EAA and installed by the owner
- Car owners must find a secure and suitable place to park the car at the airfield or very near to it. The car cannot be "abandoned" by the member, and it should be inspected and driven frequently to make sure it is in working order and has not been vandalized.
- Some reservations may require confirmation, such as in the case where the car owner must take steps to get the car positioned in advance of the renter's arrival.
- The EAA Car Sharing system would provide an insurance policy to cover liability and an additional $500 to cover the deductible for collision/comprehensive. But the Owner is responsible for any collision/comprehensive insurance, if they choose to have it. An owner who chooses to not insure their car does face the risk of losing the car if it is totaled in an accident.
- Car owners can provide feedback on a renter's care for the car and adherence to policies
I have a '95 Chevy Suburban that doesn't look pretty but it starts and drives great, is clean inside and seats 8. I rarely use it anymore and would be happy to share it with fellow EAAers, if there were some way I could benefit from the trouble and avoid a liability headache.
The good will we've all witnessed so often in the EAA community tells me there will be no shortage of members willing to supply serviceable cars into the car sharing system, especially since it returns a value to them.
There may also be a way for EAA to gain revenue from this system, which is always important.
I'm hoping to hear lots of constructive reactions…
Bill
Most EAA members are familiar with a ubiquitous problem: How do we expand our recreational flying beyond the occasional fly-in and the $100 hamburger at on-airport restaurants? For example, have you ever wished you could make a quick trip downstate to that barbecue restaurant you discovered in a small town a couple years back? Or, spend a Saturday afternoon with your nephew and his kids who live 150 miles from an airport with rental cars but only 15 miles from a small town airfield?
A basic challenge recreational aviators face, after the hangar-talk sessions are done, is how to actually fly to and visit an interesting destination. Local transportation solutions are too rare! Large airports have rental car agencies. Some airports with FBOs have "courtesy cars" that are appreciated by pilots who know about them and use them. But for the thousands of small, and frankly, more interesting airfields, there is simply no way to spend time traveling in the local area after tying down.
In some metropolitan areas there are emerging systems called "Car Sharing" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Car_sharing) that allow people occasional access to a car without having to own one. Metropolitan car sharing seems to be growing, although slowly, and some of the leaders like ZipCar have gained quite a bit of publicity.
Could the EAA create a Car Sharing system that positions cars for rent at many local airports where none exist today? It would be a cool way to use the strength of the EAA community to solve the local transportation problem.
An EAA car sharing system would make cars available to registered members for their occasional use. Following the example of Zipcar and others like them, technology would be heavily leveraged to create the system.
Renting an EAA Shared Car:
- Using the Internet members can apply to rent cars, be registered and approved, all online. An annual fee may be required.
- Members can login to a website, locate available cars, reserve one and pay for the rental.
- When a member arrives at their reserved car it can be unlocked for access by using their cellphone.
- Members who rent a car can provide feedback on the usability of the car
Supplying an EAA Shared Car:
- Members can apply to supply a car they own into the system. These cars would typically be "old beaters" that are safe and run reliably.
- Car owners earn rental credits based on the rental history of the car
- Car owners are free to use the car when it is not reserved, and must suspend it in the reservation system before doing so.
- Cars in the system are equipped with a cellular unlock accessory provided by the EAA and installed by the owner
- Car owners must find a secure and suitable place to park the car at the airfield or very near to it. The car cannot be "abandoned" by the member, and it should be inspected and driven frequently to make sure it is in working order and has not been vandalized.
- Some reservations may require confirmation, such as in the case where the car owner must take steps to get the car positioned in advance of the renter's arrival.
- The EAA Car Sharing system would provide an insurance policy to cover liability and an additional $500 to cover the deductible for collision/comprehensive. But the Owner is responsible for any collision/comprehensive insurance, if they choose to have it. An owner who chooses to not insure their car does face the risk of losing the car if it is totaled in an accident.
- Car owners can provide feedback on a renter's care for the car and adherence to policies
I have a '95 Chevy Suburban that doesn't look pretty but it starts and drives great, is clean inside and seats 8. I rarely use it anymore and would be happy to share it with fellow EAAers, if there were some way I could benefit from the trouble and avoid a liability headache.
The good will we've all witnessed so often in the EAA community tells me there will be no shortage of members willing to supply serviceable cars into the car sharing system, especially since it returns a value to them.
There may also be a way for EAA to gain revenue from this system, which is always important.
I'm hoping to hear lots of constructive reactions…
Bill