Aero Club offers a fun way to experience Alaska

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Tammie Ramsouer
  • JBER Public Affairs
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska --  The Cessna Aero Club on Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson offers military members, their families and retirees a bird's eye view of the Alaska outdoors.

The Aero Club offers training for private pilot's licenses to anyone with base access wanting to learn how to fly. This club is one of 22 aero clubs in the Air Force.

Individuals do pay for their private licenses, which cost approximately $9,500 after all the flight training is complete, said Wally Hansen, Aero Club chief flight instructor.

The Aero Club hosts training at Hangar 7 on JBER and consists of ground school, flight training and ground training.

"People cannot use their Veteran's Affairs benefits for the private lessons here because the VA considers this to be a vocational technical training," Hansen said. However, if individuals want to use their educational benefits, they can go to the University of Alaska-Anchorage, he said.

The instructors follow the Federal Aviation Administration regulations and policies for licensing and training.

"The minimum requirements by the FAA are 35 to 36 hours, and the national average is 70 to 75 hours; we average about 50 hours," Hansen said. "We are saving money by not only the cost of the rental but in the number of the total hours."

Once individuals are finished with their ground training, they train to fly in one of the many aircraft the Aero Club has.

"We have three 172 Skyhawks, a 172 Skyhawk with retractable gear, a 182 Skylane, a 185 Skywagon, a Piper PA-34 Seneca twin engine and a Seneca 2 twin engine," Hansen said.

"We have float planes as well," said Paul Credit, Aero Club manager.

"We are one of three places in the United States that you can rent floatplanes, so it's fairly unique right here in Alaska," Hansen said.

The Aero Club is supported by the Morale, Welfare and Recreation services and paid for through the fees for club memberships, rentals and trainings.

"There are two main reasons why the club started in the first place," Hansen said. "One is to provide recreational activity, which we do; the other is to provide a source of future military pilots and also to provide our command with another resource to rent aircraft to survey the land around JBER for any obstacles that may be in the way of our airspace."

The club is accepting new members and is currently looking for people who are enthusiastic about flying opportunities.

"This is the opportunity of a lifetime," Hansen said. "I have flown all over the world and it doesn't get any better than here in Alaska."

For more information about the Aero Club, call (907) 753-4167 or 552-5435 or visit the Aero Club website at www.jberaeroclub.com.