Lakeland Aero Club heading to AirVenture

By Aron Yichye, Senior Vice President, Lakeland Aero Club

During the week of Sun ‘N Fun 2021, the Lakeland Aero Club’s team of high school students worked to build their new Recruit Cub from Patriot Aircraft, as well as its engine. Over the course of the build, our members gained valuable experience of just what it takes to assemble an aircraft from start to finish while working as a team. We met our goal of assembling the aircraft and its components during the airshow, and sent our kit-Cub off to Patriot Aircraft to be covered in fabric and painted.

However, this was just the beginning of the adventure. During summer break, we have had several of our members travel to Patriot Aircraft in Alabama to help finish our Cub. Part of their work included learning to use the Air-Tech fabric coating system, as well as installing our new Acme Aero shocks.

This year marks our seventh time embarking on the 1,100 mile journey to fly into EAA’s Oshkosh AirVenture. Over the course of our annual flight up to Oshkosh, we have now had 33 teenagers fly themselves up to Oshkosh in aircraft older than their grandparents. This year, we are flying our vintage aircraft up for AirVenture, but are also picking up our complete Recruit Cub on the way. Flying the Recruit Cub alongside our original fleet allows for an interesting mix of old and new, and is providing our members with a more modern tailwheel flying experience. The Aero Club is also updating our social media platforms with our progress flying to AirVenture. Check for updates on our website, www.LakelandAeroClub.org.

The Aero Club is attending Airventure for the week, so feel free to say hello and check out our new Cub when you see us!