Reviving this thread. Got a chance to fly today at the Challenge Air event in Denver at KAPA.
What a great group of people and a wonderful event. I'll be back next year.
One of my airplane co-owners cranking up for a flight. We both flew four sorties.
Last I heard about 75 kids flown, 11 aircraft.
Tower basically tried to hold 10/28 for us all day, with about a 20 minute flight for each kid, with winds calm we could depart 10, return 28 and go directly to the XJet ramp. XJet sold fuel at their cost to participants and donated their big hangar and ramp. Jeppesen supported the group with a significant donation and the weather couldn't have been better. Mid 70s and dead calm.
Beautiful day to fly the kids. I had a big spectrum of ability with one young man so sleepy from being up late last night having a seizure that he dozed off about halfway around the 20 minute flight, to a young girl who I literally let fly the plane from liftoff until nearly the landing with almost no help at all from me other than pointing at landmarks to fly toward. With the load capability of the 182 we could always load the kid up front and usually a parent and a sibling in the back which is great fun when much of the family can come along and join in the fun.
One red haired young man was my "pitch oscillator" all the way around until short final when mom said, "Okay son, please let go so the pilot can land the airplane!" Hehehe. He was fine, and I could easily overpower him one-handed and he was just having a blast. My co-owner had the flight with the kid who was so excited he was asking anyone and everyone with an event shirt on all sorts of great questions and that didn't stop on the flight.
I wish I had the CFI ticket. I would have gladly handed the young girl a beginners logbook and signed it as her first flight lesson. She did great.
We all also got a huge kick out of the young man in a "race" wheelchair complete with wheelie-popping safety wheel, he was zooming around better than any of us old farts could walk, and having a blast.
Well worth looking up this group and volunteering if you have one of their events near you. Their time requirements are fairly high which limits the number of pilots, but talk to them and they'll work with you.
Our chief pilot for today's event was Tom Letts from Jeppesen and he did an excellent job on safety and planning. Kudos!
The local Rotary Club handled feeding all the volunteers and also did a great job. They couldn't do it without them!
