My day begins at the airport at 8:00 a.m. with a primary flight student working towards his private pilot certification. SIU breaks up the private pilot course into 3 checkrides and my student is a few flights away from going on his navigation check, the 2nd of the 3 checkrides. I’m thinking that the plan for today is to put him under the foggles, (a view limiting device to simulate flying in clouds and poor visibility) get him lost and see if he can figure out his way back to the Carbondale airport. The beginning of the flight goes well and I get him disoriented before I allow him to take off the foggles and look outside. At this point we are somewhere over Kentucky and he has absolutely no idea where we are. The first thing he does is plugs in “Carbondale” into the GPS and programs it to take him directly back to the airport. Alas, I, being the cruel flight instructor I am, promptly failed his GPS. My student then resorts to his lost procedures and begins to triangulate his position using VORs. Then, to make matters interesting I slowly pull his power out to simulate an impending engine failure. After catching my tantalizing hints my student finally figures out what I want him to do. Divert to the nearest airport. After looking at his map and seeing some key features he finally points his nose in the direction of the Mississippi County airport in Missouri and has an uneventful landing there with no engine power on a very short runway.

Looking at my watch while on the ground in Missouri I realized that I only had an hour and 15 minutes until my next class! I yelped and told my student to go full power back to Carbondale. The flight back was uneventful, with my student finding checkpoints and navigating by using his map which I was pleased to see. . . however, I may have gotten a few extra gray hairs with his landing that was less than ideal. After completing the lesson, I dashed off to class on campus which is a five mile drive from the airport. I made my geography class with a few minutes to spare. I may have been in class physically but my mind was still going over the flight and what I could do to improve my student’s piloting skills.

After geography I went over to the library to study for my next class – meteorology. Meteorology is actually my easiest class since many of the weather concepts covered I already knew from my commercial training and my flight instructor training. The sad thing is that two of my students are actually in that same class that I am, which was awkward at first until they both realized that I already knew the material and that the only reason I was in the class was that it was required and I did most of my flight work before doing my general education classes on campus.

After meteorology, I zipped back out to the airport to prepare for my 3:00p.m. commercial student. For him, it’s all about perfecting his maneuvers and working on the little things. He is a good pilot but sometimes distractions get to him and my goal for this flight was to cut back on the distractions and to make sure he remembers to do the checklist! On this particular flight the main issue was his coordination with the flight controls. Coordination is an essential skill that sometimes gets overlooked in training. Bad coordination such as skidding or slipping through the air can make passengers feel nauseous. In small airplanes, there is an instrument called an inclinometer which has a ball located in a small tube. When the ball is centered it indicates coordinated flight and happy flight instructors. On this particular day the ball looked like it was playing tennis jumping back and forth between the far right and left. I didn’t say anything hoping that he would catch it and fix it. When he didn’t I randomly started tapping on the rudder. (The flight control surface used to fix coordination) This went on for 5 minutes until my student couldn’t stand it any more and asked why in the world I was tapping on the rudder. All I had to do was point to his ball and he instantly knew his coordination was off. Needless to say, we didn’t have any more problems with coordination on that flight.

After completing with my 3:00 p.m. student I went out to start preflighting a Cessna 152 for flight team landings practice beginning at 5:00 pm. I am a member of the SIU precision flight team and one event that we practice daily is power on and power off precision landings. On the runway, there are lines painted across the width of the runway and the objective is to land as close as possible to the 0 line. The target box has a line indicating 100 feet short and 200 feet long. On this particular day, my power-on landings were pretty shaky, yet I still managed to get my plane inside the target box with only a few penalties. However, my power-off landings, where you pull the engine power to idle 1000 feet above the target line and glide to a landing were some of my best. I managed to land my plane 5 feet short, 10 feet long and 15 feet long in 3 tries with no penalties.

After landings, I went out to grab a quick bite to eat with the team and then returned to the airport for SCAN practice which began at 7:30 p.m. SCAN, which stands for simulated comprehensive area navigation is another flight team event that I participate in. For SCAN, competitors take a timed test on regulations, cross country planning, and aviation performance calculations. Tonight’s agenda was to study my regulations and go over a previous practice test I had taken the night before with my teammates as well as take a new practice SCAN test. By the time SCAN practice was done, it was 11:00 p.m. and time to go home and start my homework for my on-campus classes. I had “Diversity in American Sport” presentation the following day to prepare for, as well as an aviation safety paper to write. It was 1:00 a.m. by the time I was done and able to go to bed only to wake up at 6:00 a.m. the following morning and do it all over again, with different students, different classes but the same packed schedule.

Josh Mech was a 2009 Foundation scholarship recipient. He is a student at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, where he also works as a certified flight instructor. Josh recently passed my multi engine commercial flight checkride and will soon start applying to commercial airlines.

A recent issue of Air Line Pilot magazine talked about the benefits of the Known Crewmember (KCM) pilot screening process, currently being tested in seven major sites. This program which debuted in August at Chicago O’Hare has helped expedite thousands of pilots through security. The KCM enables TSA security officers to check databases that verify a pilot’s identity and employment status. In a recent USA Today article, TSA Administrator John Pistole says the agency’s strategy is to increasingly focus the heaviest screening on the riskiest travelers.  The TSA needs to have a screening program that is not only consistent from airport to airport, but is also able to identify individuals who are not a threat, allowing them to focus on individuals who are. Which makes sense.

Cheryl Homer Wilson
Executive Director

The major airlines will have to make themselves attractive to prospective pilot employees in both compensation and benefits. The need to look for ways to support not only the current pilot population by while finding ways to feed the pilot pipeline to support the demand is a challenge the airlines will be forced to address. It will be interesting to see which airlines rise to the occasion. Otherwise they may see American pilots recruited by international airlines. Emirates, an airline based in Dubai, currently employ 300 American pilots and are actively recruiting. The benefit package of a US commercial pilot pale in comparison to perks such as a chauffeur-driven car to and from work, an education allowance for the pilot’s family, and profit sharing offered by Emirates.

The good news is that our former scholarship recipients who have faced stiff competition in the past, will now after have an excellent opportunity to start working in their chosen career field. So right now, if you are fortunate enough to be ready to start your career as a professional pilot, the sky’s the limit!

Melodie Homer
President

So many organizations were created after September 11, 2001, many of which are no longer in existence today. As I look back, I am proud to be part of an organization that is not only in existence but is growing stronger every year.

On Saturday, August 20, 2011, we will be commemorating the 10 year anniversary of September 11 and celebrating what the LeRoy W. Homer Jr. Foundation has accomplished. Scholarship recipients from all over the country will be at the Laurel Creek Country Club in Mt. Laurel, NJ to share with us how this organization has changed their lives.  As we look forward to the next ten years, we will strive to continue creating new beginnings for young men and women who love to fly.

If you would like to learn more about our upcoming event or about our foundation, please contact us at joswari@leroywhomerjr.org.

Jane Oswari

Vice President

I recently took a trip to Atlanta and I think everybody in the United States was leaving from this airport! Security lines were long and people appeared to have brought far too many items for “carry-on”.  I arrived at my gate approximately one hour before my flight and I can assure you if the rest of the carriers are operating like the one I was on, no one will be capitalizing from the new federal ruling.  I reached my destination thirty minutes before the scheduled time. Talk about on-time performance, I was impressed!

I think the airlines are finally getting the message that if they overbook and bump a passenger, they may have to shell out.  I am looking forward to seeing the second quarter report for on-time performance reports for airlines.  Who knows, flying may once again become the way to go!

Cheryl Homer-Wilson, Executive Director

I’ve always wanted to become a pilot. It’s been my lifelong dream for as long as I can remember. I don’t know what started my obsession with aviation, but it’s always been there, and always will. I was so excited when my father told me that I could finally start flight lessons for my private pilot license. I was thirteen years old, and it was one of the greatest experiences of my life. The only thing that compares to that time was my first solo flight. That flight didn’t come until the summer after my senior year of high school because that’s when I had the bulk of my flight lessons. I got so caught up with school and other activities that I could never find time to schedule enough sequential lessons, but I never lost the passion. When I started taking lessons again, my family supported me the whole time because they knew how important it was to me. Nearing the end of the summer, I knew that I was going to solo sometime soon, but I had no idea when.

During one of my lessons, we were flying a basic traffic pattern around the Flying W airport in New Jersey, and after we landed, we parked the plane and when I started to get out, my flight instructor, Dan said “Where are you going? You’re staying in here.” I was confused at first and asked him what he meant, and then he said “You’re going up by yourself.” I can’t describe the joy and excitement I felt when I heard those words, but I was torn at the same time. My family wasn’t there, and I wouldn’t have gotten to that point without them. I wanted them to be there to see my first solo. I wanted to solo so badly, but I asked Dan if I could reschedule for another day. Luckily, it was only the next day that my family could come to the airport to see my flight.

The flight started exactly the same as it did the day before, but when Dan stepped out of the plane, I didn’t have to follow him. I was so nervous, but I felt completely prepared to do the flight. I taxied up to the runway and waited for traffic to clear. At the end of my radio call for takeoff, I added “first solo” and a few pilots in the area gave me a “good luck” over the radio. I pulled onto the runway and added full power. After the wheels left the ground, the plane was climbing so much faster than it did with another person in the plane. It was a Cessna 152, so one person’s weight makes a big difference. I could see everyone on the ground watching as I flew by. I flew through the traffic pattern with no problem and lined up with the runway to land. The hardest part was coming up, and I was ready for it. Everyone was still there on the ground watching as I came in. Just like the takeoff, the landing is also affected by the difference in weight. It wasn’t the smoothest landing, but I did it. The wheels touched down and my dream had become a reality.

Ryan Druss

From that first year to 2011, we have seen the incredible transformation of our Naval Air Forces into the most potent and capable fighting force in history.  Shipboard aviation has played a vital role in nearly every conflict the United States has been involved in, from being the decisive element in the second World War in the Pacific to Global War on Terrorism missions today.  United States Navy and Marine Corps aircraft are capable of accomplishing a wide variety of missions from the sea, whether that is from big-deck nuclear powered aircraft carriers, amphibious assault ships, or from the decks of destroyers or other smaller ships.

Over seventy percent of Earth is covered by water and two-thirds of the world’s population lies within easy reach of naval aircraft.[3] These planes and helicopters are autonomous- they require no basing rights or direct support from any foreign nation while operating at sea.  Carrier battle groups are often within a few days, if not hours, of potential conflict zones.  At the outbreak of any conflict or natural disaster, the first question our president often asks is “Where are the carriers?”  In addition to supporting events on land, Naval Aviation also remains vital to keeping the seas open.  With the vast majority of commercial transportation taking place on the world’s oceans, the protection of sea-lanes of transportation cannot be understated.

Technology will continue to advance as we strive to improve the platforms we already have, as well as develop new aircraft like the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and the P-8 Poseidon and implement them into the fleet.  We will continue to see more un-manned aerial vehicles; however, the bread and butter of our strike force will remain the manned strike aircraft launched from the carrier battle group, or from an amphibious strike group for Marine Corps assets.  These aircraft consist of Navy F/A-18 Hornets and Super Hornets, as well as Marine Corps Hornets, AV-8B Harriers, and attack helicopters.  In addition to carrier and land-based fighter/attack aircraft, there are many other Naval Aviation assets which cover a wide variety of missions, whether it be the incredibly versatile H-60 Seahawk helicopter providing disaster relief, a P-3 Orion observing and controlling the battle space, or a C-130 Hercules transporting supplies into a warzone.

US Naval Aviation has come a long way in the past one hundred years. Despite increased operational demands and fewer operating ships, our Navy and its aviation assets will continue to remain at the tip of the spear, ready to carry out our nation’s most important missions at a moment’s notice.  The celebration of the Centennial will be held throughout 2011 at airshows and Naval Air Stations all around the United States.

LTJG Mike Scott, USN

For more information on events for the anniversary, visit: http://www.navalaviation100.org/

The US Navy’s official page for the Centennial:

http://www.navy.mil/flynavy/

or keep up with the events on the 100^th Anniversary of Naval Aviation Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/navalaviation100

[2]“Part 1 A Few Pioneers 1899-1916”

[3] Helprin, Mark, “The Decline of U.S. Naval Power” The Wallstreet Journal, 2 March 2011.

One of the main things we focused on was the life of LeRoy Homer. Even though I knew LeRoy personally and have read about his life before Sept 11, it was different to talk out loud and share it with an audience.  How he worked part time jobs as a teenager to get enough money for flight lessons. How in 8 short years he went from a 16 year old getting his private pilot’s license to graduating the Air Force Academy to achieving the rank of Captain and ultimately, Major.  In between those years, he supported war efforts, was an academy liason officer and a flight instructor. All this before he even began at United Airlines.

Wow, what an achievement!

I think we tend to forget that pilots are real people with real families and real lives and have real dreams. When we step foot on a plane, we take a peek into the cockpit for curiosity sake and don’t really give much of a second thought to it again. The pilots have a family at home waiting for them and take risks to make sure we get to where we need to go. These men and women risk their lives every day to keep us safe in the air. And for that I am thankful.

LeRoy was one of those real people and we are taking his real dream and helping to put more heroes in the sky.

Jane Oswari

Acting Vice President

For the first time ever, passenger airline traffic within Europe outpaced US domestic traffic in 2010 (despite volcanoes and holiday snow closures).  Further, the Asian market is expected to become the world’s largest aviation market within the next decade.  Meanwhile, Emirates has ordered over 90 A380 superjumbo jets to fill the middle-eastern skies and create the world’s largest stopover point in Dubai.  Indeed, the world has changed dramatically since the dawn of commercial air transport; and will continue to change just as dramatically in the years to come.

The moral of the story?  Well, aside from just getting out and taking advantage of amazing global airline network to travel the world; the moral here is that young pilots can continue to set their sights high and need not be disappointed by career limitations with US carriers.  The whole world awaits for those willing to explore it…

Matt Baumgarth, Director At Large