Photo By Shawna Keyes | William Miller (left), 4th Training Squadron F-15E Strike Eagle instructor, flies his...... read more read more
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Chief Master Sgt. Tim Edwards, 414th Fighter Group superintendent, along with Lt. Col. Eric Schmidt, formerly the 334th Fighter Squadron director of operations, founded the club to share their love of flying with others.
“I’ve always enjoyed flying,” said Edwards. “My grandpa flew in World War II and always talked about it. When I went to Alaska, I got the opportunity to learn. My first take off was on an airplane with a set of skies and no brakes in the middle of a guy’s backyard.”
The club currently has more than 50 members, from Airmen to retirees, with eight people who own aircraft and fly out of Goldsboro, North Carolina.
“We try to fly out once a quarter to different places,” said Edwards. “We’ve been to Williamsburg, Virginia, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and to the Outer Banks, to name a few. We send out an email to the club members letting them know where the group is flying to and how many seats everyone has available for the non-flyers and people just sign up to come along.”
According to Edwards, those who participate in the trips usually have lunch at the destination and then fly back, returning to Goldsboro by 1-2 p.m.
The flying members of the club also work with other MIB clubs providing aerial photography and incentive flights upon request from base leadership.
The club also has plans to secure a two-seater aircraft, a Diamond DA20, dedicated to help military members earn their pilot license.
According to William Miller, 4th Training Squadron F-15E Strike Eagle instructor and club member, the DA20 is a modern aircraft with modern avionics and reliability. It is cost efficient, has a good safety record and is simple to fly.
“I believe a lot of people who join the Air Force are interested in aviation,” said Miller. “And if I can get four or five dedicated individuals, I can help them get their private pilot license in one year at thousands less than current market costs.”
Currently, Miller is running the numbers but is looking at a price range of about $7,500 per person, this cost off base runs more than $10,000. He hopes to bring in volunteer instructors from the 4th Medical Group, 4th Operations Support Squadron weather flight and airfield operations flight to add to the overall instruction.
“Bottom line is I would like to see other people obtain their goals” said Miller. “I’m not in this for the money, I want to help Airmen who have a dream of flying come true.”
| Date Taken: | 08.19.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 09.23.2016 14:17 |
| Story ID: | 210438 |
| Location: | NC, US |
| Web Views: | 27 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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