For many Mississippi State University students, flight is a somewhat novel concept. They might ride on a plane occasionally, but few do so on a regular basis, and the number of students who have flown a plane themselves is even smaller.
However, for members of the MSU Soaring Club, the opportunity to take flight in a donated plane comes on a nearly weekly basis.
Bob Otondo, vice president of soaring and an associate professor in the college of business said the plane was donated by an MSU alumnus.
The club is focused on the science behind the flying, so most of the students are either involved in ROTC or are aerospace engineering majors. However, anyone is welcome to join.
Since the club is mostly built around lessons about flying, people do not have to know anything about flying going into the club. The first flight is called a demo flight, which introduces the new club member to the idea of flying.
Skyler Taggart, a new flyer and transfer student, said despite being up in the air, the instructor was in control of the plane. Taggart said the flight felt like a simulation because he simply touched the controls.
While the club is directed towards students, it is open to the public.
“We’ve got three levels of memberships,” Otondo said. “We’ve got one for students, regular people who live in the Starkville area, as well as out of town people who maybe live in Jackson or Birmingham, and every once in a while they’ll come for a game and have a flight while they’re here.”
Because the club already reaches such a diverse group of people, it is easy to get involved and only requires a passion for learning how to fly.
“It’s something, being up there,” Taggart said.
Brittany Corrie, a junior aerospace engineering major, said the feeling of being in the air is exhilarating.
“It’s definitely cool, scary and nerve wracking,” Corrie said. “You get a little nauseous, but I want to go again.”
The club is unique because it allows people to do this on a weekly basis. The members are invited to fly on every weekend as the weather allows.
“You can see everything,” Corrie said. “We went up three thousand feet.”
Taggart said he plans to join the club “because I want to be as much into aerospace as possible, and I feel like this is a good way to do that.”
While flying lessons do cost money, members said this club is comparatively cheap. There is a $35 fee for going up in the air the first time and people must pay a monthly fee to join the club.