New nonprofit flight club takes off on North Whidbey

Published 1:30 am Friday, June 5, 2026

Making aviation more accessible is the goal of a new flight club on the North End.

Mark Saia, a former sea captain working towards his pilot’s license, started the Oak Harbor Flight Club. The nonprofit is headquartered at the DeLaurentis International Airport and a grand opening is scheduled for July 11.

“It’s real exciting. I”m just excited to be able to do this,” Saia said.

Saia explained that there is no longer a Navy flight club and that the closest flight clubs are located on the South End and on the mainland. Having to drive so far to join a flight club, and having flying be such an expensive hobby as it is, puts aviation “just out of a lot of people’s reach,” he said.

Having a flight club in Oak Harbor remedies that. Saia hopes to inspire youth to take an interest in aviation, in particular.

The club’s main draw is the access it gives members to flying two different planes — a Piper Cherokee 140 and a Cessna 150 — purchased by Saia. There is at least one flight instructor with the club, and the airport has flight simulators.

Saia explained that the club is still “massaging our pricing to make (the club) accessible for everybody,” so exact prices are unavailable at the moment. But, those interested in joining can expect to pay an annual membership fee, a small, monthly fee to cover hangar insurance and an hourly fee when they use the planes.

Fees will be competitive as far as local flight clubs go, Saia added.

Robert DeLaurentis emphasized that he bought and restored the airport with the intent to make it a community resource and explained that hosting a flight club aligns with his vision. He and Saia have discussed creating a flight club for well over a year, DeLaurentis said.

“We’re basically delivering on what we’ve promised since day one,” he added.