With the our exciting upcoming trip to San Antonio just around the corner, the Mission Pilot Ground School students had another exciting event happen on a recent Sunday morning: their first real flying lesson! The Ground School students have been hitting the books all semester, learning aviation knowledge from aerodynamics to weather to aircraft performance. Now was a chance to experience what they’d been studying about first-hand.

The weather is often fickle this time of year, but everything turned out perfectly for the students to be able to take their introductory flying lessons at the Auburn Municipal Airport. Each student in turn got behind the controls in the pilot’s seat of the Cessna 172, with a Certified Flight Instructor at the other set of the dual controls. The instructor then talked them through taxi, takeoff, and some basic maneuvers such as climbs, turns, and descents. Except for the landing, the students did all the flying while the instructor directed on how to control the plane.

It was clear by the students’ expressions after they got out that they’d been bitten by the flying bug! The flight was definitely a huge hit and highlight of the year.

With just a few more class sessions left in the semester, the Ground School students will be studying for the FAA Knowledge Test, which is one of the steps in becoming a private pilot. The class is also planning on visiting an Air Traffic Control Tower before the end of the semester.

Mission Pilot Ground School is being taught this semester for the first time at Weimar Academy. The class focuses on building the knowledge foundation necessary for future flight training and it has a mission emphasis to inspire students to use aviation in service for God. The teacher, Michael Lombart, is a Weimar Academy and College alumnus and is planning on eventual service as a missionary pilot. He is a pilot, holds a Ground Instructor certificate, and is currently in training to become a flight instructor. If you are interested in learning more about future aviation opportunities at Weimar Academy, you can contact Michael at m_lombart@yahoo.com.