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Top: Robert Foster, the student vice president of the OSU Flying Club, flies a plane above the Corvallis area on Sunday. Left: A view of the Corvallis campus from one of the club's six Cessna airplanes. Members can rent the planes at an hourly rate.

'The sky's the limit' for OSU Flying Club

Students, faculty and staff of OSU and LBCC can join OSU's Flying Club with no experience and gain a private pilot's license

By: Lauren Sigel

Posted: 3/3/09

Members of the OSU Flying Club have their heads in the clouds on a regular basis, and they're not daydreaming.

This nonprofit organization is dedicated to giving members and alumni of OSU and Linn-Benton Community College (LBCC) an inexpensive opportunity to learn how to fly, with a strong emphasis on safety.

According to their website, club membership is available for current staff, faculty and retired employees of OSU and LBCC, as well as for family of current members.

Based at the Corvallis Municipal Airport, the club currently owns six Cessna aircrafts that members can rent at an hourly rate, depending on the plane.

Marcos Cintron, a senior majoring in computer science and the student president of the club, has been a member for four and a half years and said that prior flying experience is not necessary and that anyone of any skill level is more than welcome to become a member.

"You can start from not knowing anything about flying to getting your instructor rating," Cintron said. "It's all about having fun. The purpose of the club is for recreational flying. It does not have any commercial operations."

The first goal that members strive to achieve is their private pilot's license, which requires 40 hours of flight time. Having a private pilot's license allows members to fly the plane by themselves without a flight instructor and allows them to take out the planes whenever and wherever they wish. They can even take friends with them.

"The fact that you have the ability to go somewhere that would normally not be accessible and take a trip is awesome, you can fly places that would take forever to drive to," Cintron said. "There's a lot of freedom of where you can go. The sky's the limit."

Robert Foster, a senior majoring in business and the student vice president of the club, is more than aware of the freedom that comes with having a private pilot's license.

"During one trip, I picked up my friend at the Portland airport on our way to go camping at Hood River. It was awesome to taxi down the runway and be in the line-up with these huge jets, I bet they could barely see the Cessna," Foster said.

After achieving a private pilot's license, the next step is to obtain an instrument rating, which allows pilots to fly without any outside visual references and depend only on their flight instruments. Foster is currently working on achieving his commercial license, which takes at least 250 hours of flight time.

"Once you get your commercial license, you can get paid to fly," Foster said. "I'd like to become a professional pilot once I graduate and get my instructor's rating as well."

In order to receive a private pilot's license, members must be willing to put in time, effort and money. The cost of joining the club is $274 total ($224 for OSU students), which includes a refundable deposit, initiation fee and the first month's dues.

After the initial joining cost, there is a monthly membership fee of $24 that covers fixed costs like insurance.

Also, new members must reserve time with a flight instructor for lessons, and each instructor has an hourly rate. Add that to the cost of renting a plane (starting at $65 an hour for a two-seater Cessna 152) and it's not hard to see that learning to fly is a serious commitment.

Chris Jordan, a sophomore majoring in economics, is an employee of the Corvallis Airport and is well aware of the financial costs that come with getting a pilot's license.

"I would love to get my license, but there is no way I could afford it right now," Jordan said. "However, I do get to meet a lot of interesting people working here. It never gets old."

Even though the costs may seem daunting, compared to other flight schools and rental fees, members of the OSU Flying Club pay considerably cheaper rates.

To further reduce costs, it's suggested that members begin their flight training only when they are financially ready. According to their website, it's also recommended that people who are working towards their license consistently work towards their training, at least flying one to three times a week in order to retain the concepts that are learned and to do the necessary training over a shorter and more concentrated period of time.

Those interested in joining the flying club are encouraged to visit their website at http://flying.oregonstate.edu/.

Lauren Sigel, senior reporter

news@dailybarometer.com, 737-2231