SATURDAY, AUGUST 2, 2014
Lakeland Aero Club navigates the mentoring challenge By James Wynbrandt
If you really want to know how to get young people interested in general aviation, head down to Row 127 in the South 40 Vintage camping area and talk to the experts who flew to EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2014 in the fleet of five vintage aircraft parked there. “The interest is there, but you have to expose them,” said Luke McCurdy, who piloted his own 1949 Cessna 140 here and, at age 20, is the “old man” of the posse of seven pilots. All are members of the Lakeland Aero Club and students or recent graduates of the Central Florida Aerospace Academy (CFAA). A public high school set on the grounds of the Sun ‘n Fun campus in Lakeland, Florida, CFAA has a unique program combining an aerospace curriculum with scholarship opportunities that pay for students’ flight training. Having age-appropriate mentors also helps motivate youngsters, according to these experts. “If you’re 16 and you go flying with a 56-year-old, that’s a 40-year difference,” said 2014 graduate Dane Busone, “but for us to be flying kids our own age around to get them interested, how cool is that?” His squadron mates—Victoria Simmons, Angel Castellanos, Donovan Richards, Liam Clancy, and Skyler Burham—all of whom must have at least soloed an aircraft and be involved in club activities to participate in this, their second mission to Oshkosh, nodded in agreement.
A 1939 Taylorcraft, a 1966 Cessna 182 and two Stearmans rounded out the young pilots’ fleet, which also brought to AirVenture Mike Zidziunas, who directs the Aero Club/CFAA program, and John “Lites” Leenhouts, owner of one of the Stearmans and president and CEO of Sun ‘n Fun. “This model is replicable,” Leenhouts said of the school’s program. “It just needs a scholarship fund that pays for flying.” Much of the CFAA’s funding comes from scholarships provided by businessman, philanthropist and aviator James C. Ray, along with rent that Polk County Florida pays for the land CFAA stands on. A few minutes later the president and CEO of the University of North Dakota (UND), Dr. Bruce Smith, dropped by to greet the students and provide a subtle plug for attending UND’s famed professional pilot program. Then Ray arrived, greeting the young aviators by name, and delivered a stronger pitch for UND. (“Why do six different countries want to send their students to UND [for pilot training]? Because it has real weather! A simulator can’t give you that!” Ray said.) The group listened carefully, but it seemed they may have been distracted by the adventure they found themselves in as 17-year-old Richards had expressed a few minutes before: “There’s nothing better than to see kids our age flying from Lakeland to Oshkosh.”
Aviall Supports General Aviation. If you need something, ask your FBO or maintenance shop to call Aviall. We have nearly 2 million part numbers in our system and offer 24/7 AOG support to serve our customers better.
PHOTO BY JAMES WYNBRANDT
Proudly Keeping the World in Flight.
aviall.com Members of the Lakeland Aero Club Liam Clancy, Luke McCurdy, Victoria Simmons, Donovan Richards, Angel Castellanos and Dane Busone with Mike Zidziunas have some thoughts on how to interest young people in aviation.
23