Page 17 - Marketing Times v1

TRAVERSE CITY, MICHIGAN (FORMERLY OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA)
Flying High with ICS
International Comanche Society
BY CARLY MOORE
THE INTERNATIONAL COMANCHE SOCIETY EXISTS AS A SUPPORT COMMUNITY FOR PILOTS
OF COMANCHE AIRCRAFT, SPECIFICALLY THE COMANCHE AND TWIN COMANCHE LINE BUILT BY PIPER AIRCRAFT FROM 1958 TO 1972. Much like other type clubs such as the American Bonanza Society, ICS connects pilots to form a community,
offer training, and provide information about aircraft maintenance and services. However, ICS is unique in that production of the Comanche has been discontinued for 42 years, leaving the organization as the safeguard of tradition, culture, and community surrounding these aircraft.
ICS is an organization with global reach. Today, they have approximately 2,300 members all over the world. To help represent each global area, the governance is broken
up by tribes, each with representation on the board. There are seven domestic tribes to represent the different areas of the United States; and ve international tribes to
represent Europe, Australia, Africa, and both western and eastern Canada. Most members are current or past pilots, or the spouses of pilots. The average member’s age is well
over 60, both because the Comanche is an older model aircraft and younger people can’t typically afford their own planes. Additionally, younger people are most likely to look at the latest planes when breaking into aviation, rather than more vintage styles.
Members join ICS because the organization creates value in several ways. Piper Aircraft
still supplies some parts, but other parts and upgrades can be dif cult to nd through specialized outside vendors. ICS serves as a point of contact and information to connect pilots with quali ed vendors. ICS also distributes a magazine called Comanche Flyer to its members. Additionally, ICS provides training and support through its separate charitable Comanche Flyer Foundation. Though focused on Comanche aircraft, the foundation’s primary goals are education and safety for all pilots. Through this branch, ICS
Dave Fitzgerald
International Comanche Society Webmaster and Past President
ICS realized they couldn’t afford to have their own of ce space
if they wanted to serve members to the best of their abilities. There was no way to get around
it: in-house publishing was too expensive,
and if something didn’t change, it could even pose a threat to the organization’s existence.
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