Thursday, November 16,1989
The Battalion
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of flying
nevei By James A. Johnson
Of The Battalion Staff
he
didotn If you’re tired of the world
That!(;looking down on you, then perhaps
yean; it’s time to reverse the situation.
)r.u: Since the mid-1970s, one Texas
igfc.A&M club has given students and
in eiM faculty that opportunity,
kwi The Texas A&M Flying Club has
pu.r kept Aggies flying high for more
then than 10 years while offering both
cen transportation and a bird’s-eye view
of the area.
H Tom Adair, faculty adviser for the
^ ” flying club, said the goal of the club
is to promote aviation safety while
nc b ; giving students and faculty a diver-
• Jir n fr° m their scholastic endeavors.
;s in Si Club members buy $250 refunda-
ed n bj e shares each semester. Through
t0 fc iliembership in the club, participants
grave access to several of the planes at
stha: Easterwood Airport whenever they
not • need a getaway or just a chance to
1 ti°' relax by taking to the air.
•’ t;- Flying is fun, but, lilte any other
Kirthwhile activity, it’s not free. Ad-
—- air said that costs depend on how far
an individual plans to travel.
UVB For an avera g e member, that
fluid mean flying over Bryan-Col-
jpge Station. But some members find
1|]r it convenient to use their club share
^ for vacationing overseas. Adair said
jitie member flew as far as Europe
V and back with his wife, and another
member occasionally uses his mem
bership as a round-trip ticket to visit
Canada, his homeland.
It's also not unusual to see the
0 [ iii chib s planes at out-of-town school
st » events, Adair said.
fntigjB “I’ve even seen them at Lubbock
e t0 before,” he said.
p^Jg Adair said students often have
lt -jjBlatve-pooled” Vo mmimvie vra\e\-
pjilring expenses. They just hop in a
^ ci Sour-seated Cessna 172 and arrive at
football games in about one-fourth
„ j t i; the time it takes a typical motorist.
m \g| In addition to paying the cost of
[heat shares, members also pay for the use
■ Kjj cif a plane each time they travel. The
e toj cost varies depending on the caliber
. l( , of the aircraft.
fe The Club maintains three kinds of
p| a( ( planes. Cessna 152s, which have
l0n tll smaller engines than other planes,
cost $29 an hour, fly slower and
carry two people. Cessna 172s are
.jjdf; rented for $37 an hour, have larger
Pfhgines, travel up to 125 mph and
—- carry four passengers. The most
elaborate plane offered to members
is the Mooney Executive, which flies
I at a speed of up to 160 mph and
costs $55 an hour. Active dues are
$25 per month, while inactive dues
are $2 per month.
: Members of the flying club also
are responsible for the maintenance
and appearance of the planes,
i ■ Adair said that 80 percent of the
club’s plane usage, though, concerns
training.
Before renting a plane, each
member is required to have a license.
A private pilot’s license can be
till
Flying dub member Chris Jones examines a fuel sample during a pre-flight check. Fuel is checked for purity, clarity and the presence of pollutants.
earned by completing 25 hours of
guided instruction and 25 hours of
solo flying.
Adair said safety is mandatory
while flying.
“Flying is unforgiving of mistak
es,” he said.
He added that the biggest barriers
to safety are pilots who can’t handle
weather changes and pilots who
don’t pay attention to control of an
aircraft.
Adair also said it is important to
abide by the law when flying. One of
the most common aviation laws re
quires that pilots fly no closer than
500 feet to the ground and no closer
than 1,000 feet to the highest obsta
cle.
“Federal laws are very strict,” Ad
air said.
Before taking off, pilots must
thoroughly check out their plane for
fuel and for wing defections.
Weather conditions play an im
portant role in both the smoothness
of the trip and in visibility.
“On a dear day, you can see the
skyline from Navasota,” Adair said.
Chris Jones, a senior from Hous
ton majoring in building construc
tion, has seen much farther.
“I’ve seen Lake Livingston many
times,” Jones recalled.
Jones said he joined the Flying
Club because of its convenience.
“The flying schedules are flexible
and you can make appointments in
advance,” he said. “They (planes)
“I
I’ve been flying since
’53. And I’m sf///learning.”
— Tom Adair,
Flying club adviser
are always in excellent condition and
gassed up.”
Jones said that every once in a
while, he’ll fly to Galveston to enjoy
the beaches.
Some local businessmen also par
ticipate in the club.
Tom Gray, who owns a bicycle
shop in College Station, has been
with the group for only one month,
but now finds himself spending
more time with airplanes than with
bicycles. He said he anticipates his
visits to the airport.
“My neighbor has been flying for
quite a while, and I figured what bet
ter way to join in the fun than to
learn about flying in a local organi
zation,” Gray said. “I’ve had a heck
of a time, but it’s not a poor man’s
sport.
Students who don’t realize that it
sometimes helps to know how to fly
an airplane before flying one have
created problems at Easterwood.
A few years ago, a plane was sto
len by an student who thought a free
E lane ride for his friends would en-
ance an all-night party. The stu
dent apparently forgot (until he ap
proached the runway) that he didn’t
know how to land. The plane even
tually crashed at Easterwood airport,
but the “pilot” and his friends sus
tained only minor bruises.
The incident didn’t surprise Ad-
“It never ceases to amaze me how
some people will trust anyone,” he
said while looking at a picture of the
incident on the club’s bulletin board.
“Doing one thing wrong can do you
in.”
Benefits of membership for some
past members didn’t end when they
graduated. Those who gained exten
sive experience in the club and
earned their license in Easterwood’s
flying program went on to become
professionals. Adair said that three
former members are now flying with
American Airlines while four others
are flying for American Eagle.
Adair said a pilot never ceases to
gain insight from his experiences.
“I’ve been flying since ’53,” he
said, smiling. “And I’m stiJI lear
ning.”
Students who are interested in the
flying club can contact club presi
dent Bodie Kirby at 822-3788 or at
tend the club’s meetings on the third
Tuesday of every month at the club
house located at the northeast end of
Easterwood Airport. The clubhouse
number is 845-3329.
Chris Jones cleans the windshield of a Cessna 152-T dur
ing a pre-flight routine.
flews such as this one of the A&M campus are common
tights for members of the flying club.