Aero club offers flight lessons

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. James Hodgman
  • 60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  Staff Sgt. Brian Abbott, KC-10 Extender crew chief and a certified pilot, mans the controls inside a Travis Aero Club Piper Archer III more than a half mile above Earth. He relies on several instruments as he navigates through the sky.

The hour long instrumentation flight was one of many for Abbott, an Alliance, Nebraska, native, who started taking flying lessons at the Travis Aero Club in Rio Vista, California, in April 2013. He earned his private pilot's license in 15 months and hopes to become an officer and eventually fly the B-52 Stratofortress.

"What inspired me to start flying was actually doubting myself and thinking I couldn't be a pilot in the Air Force because I didn't attend the Air Force Academy," Abbott said. "I eventually got tired of counting myself out before I even attempted anything. I finally told myself that nothing will stop me from achieving my dream job of becoming a B-52 pilot."

Abbott, a member of the 660th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, has flown a variety of aircraft under the guidance of the aero club's instructors. He recalled what his first lesson was like.

"I thought I would get a tour of the club and maybe see the aircraft," he said. "Not only did I do that, but I conducted the preflight inspection, performed take off and landed the aircraft."

Since that first flight, Abbott has sat in the pilot's seat 75 times. He said he loves flying.

"I definitely enjoy it. It's my outlet," Abbott said. "Once you are in the air and you know it's up to you to get yourself down safe, it's the best feeling ever. The view isn't bad either."

The Travis Aero Club was founded in 1954 and provides flight training as well as aircraft rentals to the Travis Air Force Base community.

According to Stacey Farland, Aero Club manager, flight lessons are open to active duty service members, as well as members of the Reserves, Guard, their dependents, Department of Defense employees and civilians with Civil Air Patrol memberships.
The club features six airplanes valued at more than $600,000 and lessons cost approximately $150 an hour.

While that may sound expensive, Ira Billick, Travis Aero Club's chief flight instructor, encourages interested students to take flight lessons.

"The total cost will be less than elsewhere," he said. "Plus, our aircraft are new, well-maintained and we have a well-qualified staff to help students attain their goals." 
Well-qualified may actually be an understatement when referring to the quality of the club's five instructors.

"Their combined experience allows them to give students top notch training," Farland said. "They also provide students with real life experiences to aid them in their journey to becoming pilots. Our instructors love aviation and it shows. To them, it's not a job, but a lifestyle."

Billick, a former Army captain, holds four instructor certifications and has accumulated more than 10,000 hours teaching people how to fly.

"I have been teaching since 1974 and have always enjoyed what I do," Billick said. "Each flight is different with its own challenges and rewards."

"Everyone at the Aero Club is very professional, but Billick is something else," Abbott said. "I can't scare him and he forces me to do things myself instead of relying on him."

For more information about Travis Aero Club services, visit the club's website at www.travisaeroclub.com.