Click photo to enlarge
Otago Aero Club flight instructor Alan Wright and 28th
Squadron Air Training Corps cadet Sam Bruce (14) of Gore,
prepare to take off in a Rans S7 microlight at Taieri
Airport on Saturday. Photo by Peter McIntosh.
Despite high winds and "a bumpy ride", there was little
demand for sick-bags on Saturday when about 40 cadets from
Gore's 28th Squadron Air Training Corps took to the skies.
For some of the cadets, the flights at the Otago Aero Club
near Mosgiel were their first in a light aircraft.
The fledgling pilots - some as young as 13 - were given
flying lessons over the Taieri to give them experience and
flying hours to put into their logbooks.
Otago Aero Club flight instructor Alan Wright said "as long
as you can reach the pedals and see over the dashboard, you
can learn to fly".
But the legal age before a pilot could fly solo was 16, so
the training days were important for the cadets.
Mr Wright said the cadets were passionate about flying and
had a strong constitution to match.
"Watching their faces when they take the controls - they're
beaming.
"There was no demand for sick-bags, even though there were a
few bumps out there."
john.lewis@odt.co.nz
