By Eli Farrington and Noah Pond
Antonio Jordan’s passion for aviation started early in life, fueled by a lofty childhood dream — a dream shared by countless children across the world, but only pursued by a select few once they reach adulthood: flying.
“Honestly, the main thing is that I always wanted to fly. I would see people flying whether they’re superheroes or whatnot on TV and I was like, ‘Damn, I can’t do that,’ but flying planes is kind of the closest we can get to that,” Jordan said at Airport Day, an event hosted by the Aviation Club at Samoa Field Airport on Saturday, April 26. The event showcased multiple aircrafts and companies in the field of aviation and aeronautical technologies, and highlighted the resources and opportunities offered by the Aviation Club.
Jordan is a freshman environmental science and management major and the Aviation Club’s treasurer. He dealt with all of the expenses of the Airport Day event, which was overseen by David Marshall, a computer science lecturer and the club’s advisor.
Before Marshall advised the Aviation Club, he was the advisor to the PC Gaming Club. He wanted the PC Gaming Club to do something for the entire community — something beyond video games.
“I told the students in that club that [they] need to do something that impacts the whole campus, and they decided to build a flight simulator,” Marshall said. “And so, there was a flight simulator at the library for three years and it was based on gaming [equipment] — it was plastic pedals, plastic everything.”
It wasn’t until years later that Marshall was contacted by a former Humboldt State University journalism student, Meg Godlewski class of ‘87, about getting a new simulator that was Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certified. As an editor for FLYING Magazine, Godlewski presented an opportunity to take the aviation club to new heights.
“[Godlewski] was doing a story for a flight magazine and was in the offices of a company called Precision Flight Controls, and they’re in Sacramento,” Marshall said. “It just so happened that the president’s phone rang, and the very wealthy gentleman who flies his own planes said, ‘I’m getting a new airplane, build me a new simulator. I want to give away the one I have.’”
Godlewski got in contact with Marshall and asked him if the aviation club wanted the simulator, to which Marshall replied with a resounding yes. The simulator that Godlewski donated is an advanced aviation training device (AATD), which retails for about $140,000. Renting an AATD would usually cost around $50-$100 an hour, but Cal Poly Humboldt students get to use it for free.
Marshall co-owns two planes with C.D. Hoyle, a fellow Cal Poly Humboldt professor in the physics department. The pair were originally introduced to each other by a certified flight instructor. They purchased their first plane back in 2008 and their second in 2013.
“We started out as co-workers on campus and became buddies through plane ownership,” Hoyle said.
Hoyle got his pilot’s license at 18, and has been flying for over 30 years. He loves flying for both the convenience and the understanding of weather patterns that he has learned over the years.
“I like how it makes you kind of in tune with the weather,” Hoyle said. “There’s this aspect of flying where if you’re preparing for a flight, you have to be constantly in tune with what’s happening with the environment around you.”
Unfortunately, the weather was not in the aviation club’s favor on Airport day, as a combination of rain and low-hanging fog prevented anyone from taking off or landing. Hoyle explained that a lack of visibility, coupled with the fact that Samoa Field Airport doesn’t have air traffic control, caused the event to have a smaller turnout than expected. Had the event taken place on a clear day, the airport would have seen dozens of model and full size planes taking off and landing. Despite the bad weather, the event was still a hit.
Aviation club president Lee Donohue was disappointed with the harsh conditions, but didn’t let the rain dampen his good mood. As club president, it is Donohue’s job to preside over meetings and help organize events like Airport Day. This year, he was able to assemble a group of volunteers and tech companies to table at the event.
“We’ve asked a lot of organizations to come in and volunteer their time and efforts to showcase how they’re involved with the community,” Donohue said. “Some of it is involved directly with aviation, some isn’t. A lot of it is showcasing emerging technologies and people’s connections to aviation, whether that be with fixed wing aircraft or with paragliders and drones. I think it’s just really cool that we were able to pull this off and show off the technology.”
Airport Day played host to a number of guests and volunteers, including a handful of aeronautics companies, Humboldt County Sheriff Bomb Disposal Squad and Cal Poly Humboldt’s very own Marching Lumberjacks.
“I think it’s a unique event where you have this mosaic of people who came and are passionate about the technology they use to help serve the community and, you know, explore their own hobbies and passions,” Donohue said.
Donohue is not a pilot yet, but his goal is to use the tools provided by the aviation club to eventually get a license. For him, campus resources like the on campus flight simulator bring him one step closer to a seat in the cockpit. He plans to take advantage of all the resources he can, and learn to fly before he graduates.
One aviation club member who goes above and beyond when it comes to flying is Kendra Char. Char is a junior marine biology major and student pilot, and just two weeks ago, she soloed an airplane for her first time — a huge milestone in her flight training.
“[Soloing] is going up in the aircraft by yourself … I flew a Piper Cherokee 140,” Char said. “It’s a lot of work to get to that point, and it built my self confidence. It’s scary at first — it’s weird — but it’s incredibly rewarding.”
The FAA requires 40 hours of flight time for a private pilot’s license, and 10 of them have to be solo. Char has completed about 35 training hours, and is now in the process of completing 10 solo hours before getting her license. She eventually wants to turn her passion for flying into a career and work for an airline, but for now she’s enjoying the fruits of her labor, about to pay off.
“I love the freedom of it,” Char said. “I’ve flown over campus a couple times, and it seems so small when I’m up there. At its core, flying is freedom from the ground. You get so much of a new perspective on everything from flying… I joined the aviation club because flying is something I love, and I want to share my love and experiences with other people who also love aviation.”
Eli Farrington is a junior journalism major working as the opinion editor for the Lumberjack. Noah Pond is a junior journalism major working as the managing editor. Together, they work around the clock, uncovering secrecies, solving mysteries, and leaving no stone unturned.
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