Students get taste of flight during hangar party

The Flying Club at the UA will get a glimpse of their flying futures tomorrow at their first hangar party of the semester at Ryan Airfield, but any student is welcome regardless of their aviation experience, members said.

The event, which begins at 6 p.m., is an opportunity for students interested in the realm of general aviation to see a variety of professor-owned small aircrafts on display, as well as speak with pilots and club members about their experiences in aviation.

"We'll have five or six planes on display that are owned by professors," said David Hahs, an aerospace and mechanical engineering junior and president of the club. "We'll also have a flight instructor from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base there answering questions from students."

Charles Curtis, a UA physics professor and faculty club adviser, will be displaying his single-engine Cessna 185 Tail-Dragger and answering questions about his travels around the Western Hemisphere.

"I've flown to Guatemala and Belize in the south; Point Barrow, Alaska, in the north; and out to Cape Cod," Curtis said. "It just goes to show you don't need a Lear Jet to travel around a lot."

The club will also be guiding tours of the control tower at Ryan Airfield, as well as arranging the club's "flyout" events for later in the semester, Hahs said.

"We have about five students in the club who have their pilot's licenses," Hahs said. "A lot of times they have extra seats, and other students can sign up to take flights over the city."

The club will be providing food and refreshments, with members bringing components for a build-your-own taco bar.

Students interested in attending the event should visit the club Web site at http://clubs.asua.Arizona.edu/~uaflying for directions to the airfield and a Listserv for arranging rides to the site.