Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Membership grows leading up to fieldhouse opening
BENTONVILLE — Interest in OZ1 has taken off before the newly created flying club opens its space.
Three people became members last week, and Phillip Johnson, the club’s director, said he’s been talking to another three looking to join.
Total membership is about 40 even though its social space on the second floor of the new Thaden Fieldhouse won’t open for a couple of weeks, he said.
The fieldhouse, however, held its opening Saturday. It’s on Southwest I Street on the west side of the airport near the north end of the runway. A private entity developed it.
Airport officials and Airport Advisory Board members have discussed for years the desire for the fieldhouse to be aviation-focused, but also be inclusive and accessible to the broader community.
OZ1’s goal is to get more people in the air by making general aviation affordable with club planes and by providing social connections with aviation enthusiasts, beginner and experienced pilots, Johnson said.
The club will be on the second floor of the 22,000-square-foot building with a social gathering space and balcony with a wide-angle view of the runway.
It will be the third flying club in Arkansas, according to the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association’s online database of flying clubs. The site only includes those who are part of the association’s network.
Superior Aviation Arkansas in Conway and Central Arkansas Flying Club in Benton are on the list of 1,603 flying clubs
nationwide, according to the association.
The club in Benton started with four members four years ago and now has 58 members and four planes, according to Mike Williamson, club president and founding member.
“Planes are not cheap,” he said. “We wanted a place where people could come out, get their license, be a part of the flying community and not cost them an arm and leg to do so.”
Oz1 has two planes for member use and plans to expand.
The Cirrus SR22 G5 is safe, modern, comfortable and economical to operate, Johnson said. The Aviat Huskey is the equivalent to what a Jeep Wrangler is for an automobile. It has fat tires, “loves to live on grass” and is made to take off and land in short distances — perfect to explore back country airstrips.
The club offers three tiers of membership with registration fees ranging from $500 to $3,000 and monthly dues ranging from $75 to $300.
All-in membership is for pilots who want access to both planes and are looking to fly
for travel as well as recreation.
Backcountry membership gives pilots access to the Aviat Huskey.
Social membership provides access to the OZ1 social space and the club’s events. It’s for pilots with their own planes or those wanting to ease their way into the aviation culture, Johnson said.
For Cara Osborne, club member, the social membership was the catalyst to finish flight school.
“It makes it much more interesting for me to finally finish my license with the club around,” she said, explaining she’s been taking lessons on and off the past few years. She teaches in the University of Arkansas nursing program.
The social aspect of the club can help make aviation more a regular part of life than when one earns a license and just rents planes, Osborne said.
She said she hopes the club helps demystify general aviation, challenging the misconception that it’s too expensive or too exclusive for people to explore.
OZ1 will also serve as another
recreational amenity to make Bentonville a city of distinction, Johnson said.
“Really, at the very core of what we’re trying to do is enhance the qualify of life, to make Bentonville a better place to live and work,” he said. “We will be successful if people start to cite OZ1 as the reason they moved here.”
Space for flight school instruction, a conference room and a lounge for transient pilots share space on the second floor of the fieldhouse.
Louise, a modern-style diner, is an anchor on the ground floor and was designed with accessibility in mind.
“We want it to be a place where everyone could come,” said Sarah Hegi, with RopeSwing, the hospitality group that created the restaurant.
The “approachable menu,” as Hegi described it, offers diner dishes, such as buttermilk pancakes for breakfast, Reuben sandwiches for lunch and chicken-fried steak for dinner.
Other Ropeswing restaurants, such as Preacher’s Son, offer menu options that may be new to patrons, but “this one, we really wanted to just be the classics,” Hegi said.
The space’s details — the mirrors above the bar that reflect
the circular apron outside and the log book proffered when checks are delivered encourage travelers to enter where they flew in from and on what type of aircraft — create a community among aviators and give nonaviators glimpses into the world of aviation.
Fenced patio seating will open in the spring and give patrons a front-row seat to the airport runway activity.
Also on the first floor is a hangar exhibit space, a retail area and lobby that has an entry point for pilots on the airfield to the south and for the public to the north — an intentional touch to make the space accessible to nonaviators, officials said.
Osage Park is under development north of the field house. Plans include expanding the lake for canoes and kayaks. Boardwalks will wind their way through the prairie and wetland areas.