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Ashley Hayes Reporting Modern day aviation got it's start 103 years ago this month with the Wright brothers first flight at Kitty Hawk.
Aviation has changed tremendously since then. But one thing that remains the same may be the thrill one gets from piloting a plane for the very first time.
Now one organization is promoting that thrill in hopes of recruiting new pilots. The organization is the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association.
The national program it sponsors, Project Pilot, is available to anyone through local flight schools. And the experience is unlike any other.
Even before crooner Frank Sinatra romanticized flying in these melodic lyrics, before the Wright brothers took to the sky at Kitty Hawk in 1903, people have been fascinated with man and flight.
But in recent years, much of that fascination has turned to fear.
Kevin Nichols, Assist. Flight Chief, Leading Edge Aviation: "The events of 9-11 we did have a decrease in interest. The airlines layed off a bunch of people. People traveled less."
That, compounded with a decline in military recruitment over the past several decades, has led to a decreased number of licensed pilots. Members of the AOPA, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, want to make sure there will be enough pilots for future air travel needs, so they have created a program for...
Kevin Nichols, Assist. Flight Chief, Leading Edge Aviation: "Just anyone. It's like driving a car, you know."
So we signed up. But little did we know....
"Granted, there's a lot more involved."
We started with a short lesson in the classroom.
"You just bank the airplane one way or another and you're not in a turn anymore."
Then we run through a safety checklist.
"Make sure all the sheet metal looks straight."
And we're off. Anyone interested in aviation can sign up for Project Pilot. It includes a reduced rate discovery flight, where you work with a certified flight instructor. It's basically like driver's ed. The student and instructor both have controls.
Good to know when you're hovering over the city at 55-hundred feet. Especially when it gets bumpy.
"Is this my driving, or is this turbulence?"
Turns out you feel all the bumps in a Cessna Skyhawk. That's just part of the ride, and it's a thrill once you get the hang of it.
There's Antelope Island, completing a horse-shoe route that leads back to the airport. The experience was breathtaking, especially touching down. It's both a relief and a disappointment.
Not quite like driving a car, as Kevin Nichols said earlier, but Project Pilot is a great way to fly away.
Our flight at Leading Edge Aviation cost $69. Depending on where you live, rates vary from $59 to $89 for that first flight. If you continue on, costs go up.
