Eagle Flying Club
of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Inc.
Our History
The history of the Eagle Flying Club of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University begins with the dreams of Talton Higbee Embry and John Paul Riddle on December 17, 1925 when they founded the Embry-Riddle Company. After World War II and further development, Embry-Riddle established the largest residential campus and created its academic headquarters in Daytona Beach located adjacent to the Daytona Beach International Airport in 1965. The campus, with an adjacent aircraft ramp, created the perfect setting for flight training.
It was 32 years into flight training success at Daytona Beach when a select group of staff presented interest in creating an opportunity for all employees to experience the thrill of flying at an affordable rate. As legend is told, the Director and Chairman of the Embry-Riddle Daytona Beach Flight Training Department in 1997, Dr. Kenneth Stackpoole, was both the developer and first president of the employee-based Eagle Flying Club. In 1998, the Eagle Flying Club of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University was incorporated as a 501(c)4 non-profit organization and during an aircraft fleet refresh, Stackpoole negotiated the deal to “buy” two Cessna 172s (N109ER and N139ER) from Embry-Riddle for $10 each. He acquired the support from the university in the form of funds to cover the insurance on the aircraft and an agreement to provide aircraft maintenance at an affordable rate. Since the first annual funding grant of $25,000 from university, the school has continued generous financial contributions to support the needs of the Eagle Flying Club. During the first seven years, the Eagle Flying Club evolved tremendously with the addition of two additional Cessna 172s entering the fleet (N737WR and N9963E), the development of its first web page, and the implementation of an online scheduling site.
Today, the Eagle Flying Club offers two aircraft (N416WR and N428WR) and it still follows the principle the club was founded on – “To provide ERAU employees an opportunity to learn about aviation, train towards the attainment of flight certificates and ratings, and rent EFC aircraft at an economical rate.”
