Prior to our Foundation online auction last year I was able to coerce a one hour aircraft simulator ride from the ERAU flight department. I entered the bidding myself just to try and run up the bidding. Sure enough another bidder came in above me so I bid it up but not really hoping for it since I have many simulator rides in the past. I wasn’t so lucky and ended up as the winning bidder. Rather than use it myself I decided to donate to some students at the PHS Junior ROTC class. I met up with Retired Air Force colonel and ROTC instructor Bill DeKemper at the ERAU flight training center along with students Cayden Pederson and Briley Olson. We were given a tour of the facility and then to the simulator building which houses several million dollars of fight training equipment. The boys were given some instruction and were allowed to fly the Cessna 172 simulator and later the Diamond twin engine aircraft simulator. They adapted quite quickly. All in all, we were there for a couple hours and the boys flight flight time was worth well over $1000 at a for profit training academy. We might see them in a cockpit on a 737 or F35 one of these days.
Prior to our Foundation online auction last year I was able to coerce a one hour aircraft simulator ride from the ERAU flight department. I entered the bidding myself just to try and run up the bidding. Sure enough another bidder came in above me so I bid it up but not really hoping for it since I have many simulator rides in the past. I wasn’t so lucky and ended up as the winning bidder. Rather than use it myself I decided to donate to some students at the PHS Junior ROTC class. I met up with Retired Air Force colonel and ROTC instructor Bill DeKemper at the ERAU flight training center along with students Cayden Pederson and Briley Olson. We were given a tour of the facility and then to the simulator building which houses several million dollars of fight training equipment. The boys were given some instruction and were allowed to fly the Cessna 172 simulator and later the Diamond twin engine aircraft simulator. They adapted quite quickly. All in all, we were there for a couple hours and the boys flight flight time was worth well over $1000 at a for profit training academy. We
might see them in a cockpit on a 737 or F35 one of these days.