The Journal Gazette & Times-Courier featured CAP's Johnson Flight Academy when it kicked off Friday. Read the article here:
http://jg-tc.com/news/article_ec5dfccc-9317-11e0-990a-001cc4c002e0.html
Civil Air Patrol's Johnson Flight Academy landing in Coles County this week
By Kayleigh Zyskowski, Journal Gazette & Times Courier Staff Intern
MATTOON - Residents from the Coles County area may see increased air traffic from the Coles County Memorial Airport while the Johnson Flight Academy takes to the sky for the week.
Andrew Fearn, the airport manager, said hot air balloons and gliders will be the most visible throughout the week.
"Early in the morning and late in the afternoon they have about one or two hot air balloons they will launch and recover, and throughout the day gliders will be operated," Fearn said. "If everything is working like it should, they set off a glider every five to 10 minutes. They stay hopping."
The Civil Air Patrol (CAP) hosts the flight academy for the cadets who will complete classroom and flight training.
About 50 cadets, ages 14-21, will be in town, and everyone from the academy will stay on campus at Eastern Illinois University, said Deanna Frasure, public affairs officer for the academy.
Some 30 to 35 adults and eight to 12 pilots will help out with the camp, with the number of helpers depending on the day of the week.
In the classroom training portion of the academy, the cadets learn leadership skills, aerospace technique, emergency services and flight line marshalling, which is essentially guiding the planes on the ground.
"There is a fee for the camp, but at the academy the cadets are able to complete pre-solo and solo flights at the fraction of the cost of private flying lessons," Frasure said. "The solo flight is where the cadet can get their wings, and become an actual pilot."
Depending on the age and skill level of the cadet, he or she is able to fly solo or pre-solo. Last year about six cadets competed pre-solo flights and two cadets received their wings with a solo flight, Frasure said.
Fearn said participants usually move to a different airport in the area to utilize the power aircraft.
"We are usually just so busy here with the gliders," Fearn said.
Many of the cadets come into the program with interests in the sky for their futures. Some of the cadets pursue military careers, some become military or commercial pilots, and some go into different aviation or aerospace fields, Frasure said.
"A small percentage go into the fire or police emergency field - they become EMTs," Frasure said, adding the search and rescue and disaster relief training from the camp aids those cadets.
Though the cadets come from across the Midwest, life-long friendships often are made throughout the week, Frasure said.
"It is character building, and the cadets make friends from all over, and they stay in touch for the rest of their lives," Frasure said.
This is not a really formal camp; it is relaxed, so participants have free time, Frasure said.
"You can tell they are having a ball," Frasure said. "We all have a lot of fun."
And the cadets are not the only ones who can enjoy the week-long camp.
"Depending on the wind, people can come out and get a meal at the Airport Restaurant and watch the gliders take off," Fearn said.
The academy will begin today and end June 17.
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