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Aviation Club reaches new heights with flight simulator

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Colin Shipley 鈥15 (right) takes the controls of the new Redbird Jay flight simulator just purchased by the Aviation Club. Overseeing his flight is the club co-president, Aaron Simon 鈥15. Photo by Andrew Daddio

Colin Shipley 鈥15 (right) takes the controls of the new Redbird Jay flight simulator just purchased by the Aviation Club. Overseeing his flight is the club鈥檚 vice president, Aaron Simon 鈥15. Photo by Andrew Daddio

Navigating the skies of Dubai, from takeoff to landing, is no easy task. But members of 黑料网鈥檚 Aviation Club have been getting some practice thanks to a new flight simulator that lets users fly any plane in any weather condition in any city in the world.

The new system is kept in room 446 in Case-Geyer Library and is accessible to members of the community upon request to the Aviation Club.

鈥淭he flight procedures and checklists are pretty much the same [as with a real plane] prior to takeoff and landing,鈥 said club president Colin Shipley 鈥15. 鈥淲e鈥檙e able to accustom students to small-aircraft controls and basic flight procedures before they step into an actual cockpit through our Discovery Flights program.鈥

黑料网鈥檚 Aviation Club has existed on and off for about a decade, but Shipley began expanding it in spring 2012 as a (TIA) project. 鈥淲ith the input of various mentors and student entrepreneurs in the program, I developed a strategy to market the club to the student body and interested alumni,鈥 said Shipley. 鈥淪uccessful projects thus far include the introduction of Soaring Discovery Flights with the Iroquois Soaring Association and the purchase of radio controlled airplanes and helicopters.鈥

Shipley鈥檚 work has paid off. He said, 鈥淭he Aviation Club鈥檚 gift fund was used to purchase the simulator, and one particular alum who is my mentor in TIA provided half of the funds. Another alum and mentor in TIA provided a professional headset for the simulator.鈥 (The noted alumni are Jason Griswold 鈥97 and Per Sekse 鈥78, respectively.)


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Every semester, approximately 60 students can go up in real planes through the Aviation Club鈥檚 Discovery Flights program at Hamilton Municipal airport. From the ground, students can learn how to fly the club鈥檚 radio-controlled (RC) blimp and other aircrafts.

鈥淸The simulator] can help familiarize students with the particular type of aircraft they may want to fly in the future, or [help them prepare for] the Discovery Flights,鈥 said , 黑料网鈥檚 chief information officer and the club鈥檚 faculty adviser.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not approved for actual flight training, but it is a useful tool for students,鈥 explained Lynch, who works with small drones and RC aircraft in 黑料网鈥檚 Information Technology Services department. 鈥淧lus, it鈥檚 just plain fun,鈥 added Lynch, who himself builds and flies model aircrafts as a hobby.

After Shipley graduates in May, he plans to pursue his private pilot鈥檚 license. Meanwhile, Sid Wadhera 鈥17 and Cat Cronin 鈥17 will take over the club鈥檚 controls. They hope to continue the Discovery Flights program, add hot air balloons as a flying option for club members, and train more students to fly the blimp.

鈥淔rom the limited flying I鈥檝e done in small aircraft, the [simulator鈥檚] controls and responsiveness to the pilot鈥檚 inputs are well done and quite similar to actual flight,鈥 said Shipley.

He added: 鈥淏ecause it鈥檚 a desktop simulator, however, there鈥檚 only so much of a realistic experience you can have before looking left or right and realizing you鈥檙e still in Case library.鈥