by Tom Woodward
On May 20th, your local EAA chapter 983 sponsored a Flying Start program. This program was designed for people who were interested in learning to fly but never knew how to get started. The program focused mainly on PPOA members but we had participants from as far away as Dallas attend. The class was free, and opened to 24 members who pre-registered. Ages ranged from 19 to senior citizens. There were 7 no-shows but the materials didn’t go to waste as at least that many showed up at the last minute and were accommodated.
The program started off with a power point presentation with local pilot adding color about why they learned to fly and the different forms of aviation. An inspirational video got everyone in the mood to take a flight and all participants were given a chance to fly with one of our Pecan pilots. Each pilot gave the student the chance to handle the controls with an explanation of how to maneuver the airplane. There was show-n-tell of a helicopter and a gyroplane to those who were waiting for their chance to fly.
The general consensus was the program was a complete success, so much so that we plan to have another. Keep an eye out on the various social media outlets, Facebook, Next Door and the Columns for our next event. This will most likely be in the late fall.
