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Crosswinds Flying Club Helps Those Eager to Earn Their Wings

Posted on: Wednesday, 6 July 2005, 18:00 CDT

High-flying club

What: Crosswinds Flying Club

When: Meetings are 7 p.m. the first Wednesday of every month

Where: EAA hangar, Central Illinois Regional Airport near the old terminal

For more information: (309) 452-2175 ------ BLOOMINGTON -- Brian Schertz, a senior at Normal Community West High School, remembers the first time his crop-duster dad, Scott, took him up in his single-seat, closed-cockpit airplane.

"It was my fifth birthday," said Schertz, 17. "I loved it. I thought, 'This is cool. This is really something.'"

Today, Schertz is the youngest member of the Crosswinds Flying Club based at the Central Illinois Regional Airport in Bloomington. He plans to finish a few requirements remaining to earn his pilot's license this summer.

"It is amazing to get a different perspective (on the world.) It changes your whole view of the land below you," Schertz said. "It all seems more interconnected."

For him, flying offers a speed and convenience you can't get on the ground. For example, his first solo flight came when his dad needed to fly a plane he uses for business to Mattoon and leave it there for maintenance. Schertz followed in a second plane to bring him home. They left at 4 a.m. The younger Schertz was at his desk in school by 7:30 a.m.

On another occasion, the Schertz family boarded a plane and flew to Chicago one afternoon. They went out for dinner, sightseeing and returned home that same night. No parking problems. No traffic congestion. All fun.

"It's a neat way to go places," he said.

Ed Dorner, 69, secretary of the Crosswinds Flying Club, has been flying since 1952. Growing up near Midway Airport, he was fascinated to see the planes fly overhead. He was old enough to be in awe as he heard stories about the important role planes played in World War II. The final straw came when war hero and flyer Capt. Eddy Richenbacher presented him with his rank of Eagle Scout. Dorner, whose sister was a stewardess with a commercial airline by then, was soon taking private lessons at Midway.

A professor emeritus of industrial safety at Illinois State University, he once flew in the Civil Air Patrol. He still flies in his job as a business consultant and for fun.

Flying cuts time from his commute to and from clients, to dinner in Indianapolis or Chicago or flying-related outings like air shows or even NASCAR races.

"I save a lot of time," said Dorner, who joined the Crosswinds Flying Club in 1981. The club, with nearly 40 members, was formed in the late 1960s. "It's easier than driving. I don't have to constantly track the road."

Unlike highways, the sky is relatively empty.

"I often don't see another plane until I reach an airport," he said.

The advantage of joining a flying club centers on camaraderie, training and cost-cutting, he said. Members share the expense of maintaining the club's three planes. Members pay a fee to join, much of which is refundable if they stay, Dorner said. They also pay a monthly fee. Schertz, who plans to study civil engineering at the University of Illinois, meets his $175 monthly commitment by working several jobs, including at the crop-dusting business started by his grandfather.

Members can also book airplanes which require a piloting skill level equal to theirs. Beginners are allowed to schedule planes to use for flying lessons, too.

Dorner estimated it costs $4,500 to $5,000 to learn to fly from start to having a private license. Some people learn within a matter of two months. Others spread lessons and cost over two years and more.

In all his years in the sky, Dorner has never had a crash. Safety is a constant concern, he said, and flying and airplanes have come a long way since Dorner learned to fly in a little fabric-covered Piper Cub.

"Safety then wasn't what it is today," said Dorner, an FAA safety instructor.

Planes now have built-in global positioning satellite systems that take the guesswork out of finding your exact location. Planes have reliable radios. Often there are two on board. Planes are well- lighted to be seen. Mechanics have become far more reliable, and engine failures are rare, he said.

The club is sensitive to the safety subject. Federal safety officials said a plane crash about a year ago that killed six area residents, including Crosswinds board member and pilot Curt Piercy of Normal, probably resulted from the pilot's improper decision to navigate by sight in bad weather and his failure to maintain enough altitude to clear a mountain in Kentucky. Contributing factors were a low ceiling, snow and darkness.

The single-engine plane involved was the fourth plane Crosswinds owned. The club has not replaced it.

Club meetings always feature a safety discussion, Dorner added.

"It's paramount in our minds," he said.

Source: Pantagraph

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