The First Flying Club at School

By Cherish Wurts

Sure, flying itself is exhilarating, but what about sharing it with others? My exact thoughts after the summer of 2022, going into the 2022-2023 school year.

So, that August, I set forth on getting the Future Pilots Club approved by my school’s Associated Student Body.

After the six-month journey of completing numerous forms, writing a club constitution, appointing officers, and doing an interview to advocate for the first flying club on campus, the Future Pilots Club was approved. Hooray!

December 13th, 2022: the day of the first Future Pilots Club meeting. The topic I chose for the first meeting was “how to get up in the skies!” Yes, quite literally.

As both the new and familiar faces of my fellow peers flood in, I am met with an indescribable sense of joy. Seeing the faces of my peers light up as I explain the process of how to sign up for a demo flight and the sweet serenade of independence when flying solo is so special in and of itself.

Fast forward a couple of months, we hosted a raffle, where two winners embarked with us on a FAA Palo Alto Control Tower tour. Amidst watching planes taxi, takeoff, and land on runway 31, we each got a turn to hold a light gun and flash some signals towards the ground.

What made this trip a life-long memory, however, was what occurred in the spare hour we had after the tour. Checking out a keybook for a Cessna 172, we walked across the ramp together towards the first C172 these two club members would get to sit in the cockpit of. The bright smiles of my peers from school as they sat in the cockpit with their left hand on the yoke and right hand on the throttle remains infectious, reminding me of the mission of the Future Pilots Club.

Thanks to a fellow club officer for sharing his great flight simulator, the Future Pilots Club has hosted two flight simulator socials on campus during lunch. At least fifteen future pilots have maneuvered planes, ranging from a Cessna to an F-18 with a joystick – definitely a one-of-a-kind experience brought to school!

One time, after a flight lesson, I received a text message from a fellow Future Pilots Club officer letting me know that he heard me over the radio. It’s not every day that high schoolers make connections by monitoring aviation band communications. The Future Pilots Club has been a catalyst for new friendships, creating extremely unique bonds with my peers pursuing similar dreams of flying.

Yet, as with anything, the Future Pilots Club could not have been successful without the support of others: members, officers, and most of all, my junior year AP Calculus BC teacher as the club’s advisor.

As my high school journey is coming to an end and that of current officers, we have selected new officers to carry on the legacy of this club. Long live the Future Pilots Club, and the great memories it will continue to foster!