Archive: Around Town

Ithaca-Tompkins Airport 05/13 -- Kids lined up for free airplane rides at East Hill Flying Club Saturday.  But they didn't just get to ride.  They also got their first flying lesson as they were taught a little about flying at five learning stations.  Kids aged 8 to 17 who completed the five stations and got their free ride received a certificate of completion for the day.  "We're just showing them the very basics," said the club's Chief Instructor David St. George.



East Hill Flying Club is a 54 year old not-for-profit organization that offers reasonably priced pilot training and plane rentals to members.  It conducts fly-in breakfasts a few times a year to raise funds for itself and Loaves and Fishes, but also hosts events like this that are purely educational.  The purpose is to get more people excited about flying.

Learning stations included Navigation, ScienceCenter's "seminar in a box" that included aerodynamic paper planes,  an introduction to flying tape, a real flight simulator, and training on a real plane to conduct the pre-flight inspection every pilot must do before taking off.


At the navigation station Michael Thompson, a Cornell professor, and Thomas Weber, a student at Cornell, were showing aviation maps called sectionals, that are used for VHR (Visual Flight Rules) flights.  "The idea is to first introduce them to what these crazy maps are, and how they're used to navigate through the air," Thompson said.  "We're trying to give them an idea of the types of air space and how airports are marked on these."  They also had an aerial picture of the airport to show what kids would see when they come in for a landing.

Kids got hands on experience at the simulator station, where adults showed them how to fly from the safety of a folding chair in the hangar.  The ScienceCenter's booth was also popular, with paper planes whizzing through the hangar at lightning speed.

Kids lined up for their free plane rides, and learned about aerodynamics with paper planes at the Sciencenter booth.

Outside the hangar club members were showing planes to visitors and letting kids sit in the pilot's seat.  The Trumansburg Rotary was barbecuing 300 chicken halves, and a private jet was parked for visitors to look inside. 


Also present was the Ithaca Composite Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol.  "We have a cadet program with military training for youth and aerospace education and a (Cessna) 172 that cadets get to fly," says member Johnhenry Richardson, who is currently a Cornell student.  The Civil Air Patrol is the US Air Force Auxiliary.  "It's main purpose is for emergency services," says Richardson.  " We do over 90% of inland search and rescue for the country.  Most of that is searching for ELTs (Emergency Locator Transmitters) on planes that go down."  He was on hand with cadets Brad Mack and Marcus Mosher, both of Valois.  

Only a half hour into the event the line was so backed up for free rides that St. George brought out another plane which he piloted himself.  Kids had their picture taken with the planes, and the pictures were printed on a computer on the spot.  St. George says there is no bottom limit for kids to start learning to fly.  "We usually try to get people that are 14 or 15 because they can't solo in the aircraft until they're 16."  They must be 17 to earn a license.


The club spent more than it took in, only charging for scenic rides to raise funds for Loaves and Fishes.  But they were pleased with the turnout and the perfect weather.  "We're trying to get young people interested in aviation," St. George said.  From the looks of things they were interested!

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