For the second summer, David Buhrman has logged hours of flying time despite being only a kid.
Thanks to the Take Flight program, offered by Northwestern Michigan College's Extended Education Services, the Cheboygan seventh grader was able to take the controls for a time during two flying sessions last week. With an instructor aboard the dual-control plane, Buhrman learned firsthand some of the responsibilities, realities and reflexes of flying while winging the regional skies in a small plane.
Since he is considering a career in the field, time in a flight simulator and classroom time on all things plane was a perfect summer intensive.
David Buhrman, 12, whose uncle used to fly and dad used to be a helicopter pilot.
Buhrman was one of seven students last week taking the four-day course, which met for five hours a day. Nine students completed the first session offered the week before.
NMC began offering the Take Flight in 2002 and instructors also take students to the Coast Guard Air Station, the Cherry Capital Airport's control tower and to the terminal area for a behind-the-scenes look at airport operation.
Then there is the coveted flying time, which takes students in the air one by one on two of the days. The first trip stays around Traverse City and the second trip this year was to Sugarloaf and featured a touch-and-go landing at an airport there.
"The students really get a lot out of it and it's one of those situations where the student can start to get an idea of whether this is a career they want,” said Aaron Cook, director of the aviation program at the college. "It's a great summer experience for them to stay involved in education in general and aviation is one of those things that utilize a lot of different skills.”
Alec Przedwojewski, also 12, completed the class for the first time and had never flown in a small plane before — not to mention taking the controls for a while. The amount of time in the air was an unexpected bonus of the class.
"I was surprised that we got this much flying time,” he said.
While he had not previously studied aviation or the mechanics behind it, he enjoyed learning about the field.
"I was surprised at some of the legal stuff — some of the instruments or even some of the stuff that has to do with flying, if it's not there you can't fly,” Przedwojewski said.
Students also had a hands-on lesson in aerodynamics when they assembled balsa wood model planes and launched them. Instant crashing or veering feedback brought home lessons of weight, power and design, spurring students to refine their efforts and try again.
"Use your control surfaces, think about how you fly and airplane,” coached Seth Little, a second year student in NMC's aviation program and a student program instructor for the Take Flight program.
These kinds of hands-on experiences, both in the cockpit and in the classroom, are just what Take Flight was designed to do. Aviation director Cook noted that students eager for more can sign up for the college's new Aeros program debuting this fall. Geared to ages 14-16, Aeros picks up where Take Flight ends. Students will meet monthly year round and stay involved with the aviation program.
"It helps bring them up through the ranks and helps them get a good start on the college program here,” said Cook, noting that the Aviation program fields 100 students.