Ever wondered what it’s like to fly a plane? For third-year aerospace engineering student Will Edwards, it reminded him of a much more typical experience.
“Liberating,” Edwards said. “Sort of like when you’re a teenager and get to drive yourself for the first time.”
Edwards serves as vice president of the Carolina Flight Club. The club hosts weekly meetings, connects members with local mentors, watches movies like “Top Gun” and travels to places like military bases and airshows.
From aspiring military pilots like Edwards, to engineers, air traffic controllers, flight attendants and those who are simply enthusiasts, the aviation-focused club has a wide range of members.
“A lot of them join first just to see, 'Hey, is this something I’m interested in?'” Edwards said. “There’s definitely a lot of diversity.”
Kaitlyn Williams, a fourth-year aerospace engineering student, serves as the club’s president, managing recruiting and a wide array of partnerships. Her passion for aviation and engineering was sparked by trips to the Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio.
“I went there all the time as a kid, which really piqued my interest,” Williams said. “The flight club has definitely helped me fall in love with aircraft even more than I thought was possible.”
Williams maintains the club’s affiliation with the Experimental Aircraft Association, a global organization of aviation enthusiasts. She is now working to secure member discounts with local pilot schools and a free ground school class.
Third-year public relations student and Flight Club OutreachOfficer Caroline Seawell works to advertise the club and find opportunities for members, such as organizing a private tour of the Columbia Metropolitan Airport's air traffic control tower and a trip to McEntire Joint National Guard Base.
“We were able to sit in the cockpits of real Apache fighter helicopters,” Seawell said. “These are the opportunities that I don’t even know how people could get access to without this club, so that’s something I’m really proud of.”
In addition to those duties, Seawell also manages the club’s Instagram. She wanted content from up in the sky.
After connecting with a local pilot through the club, Seawell had the opportunity to film from the cockpit. For her, flight is an addictive experience.
“It’s hard not to romanticize,” Seawell said. “Anybody who is an aviator, once they’re up in the sky, I think they all can relate over this one feeling of freedom.”
Third-year biomedical engineering do ctoral student Michael Kaven joined the club last spring. A licensed pilot, he will soon begin his role as Flight Simulator Officer for the club. Kaven will help members log training hours without the logistics and expenses of a real aircraft, in addition to their regular flight training.
Like Edwards, Kaven compared flying for the first time to driving a car, just a bit more complicated.
“I wouldn’t want to estimate and say, 10-fold more, but there are just many more instruments,” Kaven said. “It is a busy task and it’s an exciting task.”
Kaven learned towards a classic when picking a personal favorite aircraft, the Cessna 150. Known for its affordability and accessibility, he said the small plane offers a different experience from commercial flight.
“In a Cessna 150, depending on the conditions, you might be able to go 50 miles per hour without stalling, slower than most cars on the highway,” Kaven said. “The feeling that you get when you’re flying at 3,000 feet in the air and you’re only going 50 miles per hour, it’s not one that is mimicked by jets.”
The club is advised by retired nursing professor Patrick Hickey, who’s advising Edwards in undergraduate research, and Wout De Backer, an aerospace engineering professor that Williams has worked for.
Though he’s retired, Hickey is still an active part of the USC community. He has taught a class post-retirement and advised Edwards in undergraduate research along with helping bring back the Flight Club after several decades of inactivity.
Hickey said his primary role is to serve as a liaison between club members and the local aviation community, helping them develop the same passion and skills that drive his love of aviation. An experienced pilot who’s also scaled Everest, he said he’s deathly afraid of heights.
“Normally, students don’t know I’m afraid of heights until we’re flying,” Hickey said. “Students will say hey, Dr. Hickey, there’s the Capstone building, check it out. And I’ll say well, I can’t look.”
Because of the fear, Hickey favors low-wing aircraft that obscure his view of the ground. He started Capstone’s Personal Challenge program, which he said encourages students to do things outside of their comfort zone, whether it’s climbing the rock wall at Strom Thurmond Wellness and Fitness Center, flying a plane or skydiving, which he also enjoys.
Edwards said the club leadership team’s main goal is securing more and more opportunities to learn about and experience aviation.
“We’re trying to get students to network and find different ways where they can make aviation work with them,” Edwards said. “It’s trying to find opportunities for most people, hopefully inexpensive opportunities, to go fly."
Williams stressed that the club is open to any student with an interest in aviation, regardless of major.
”Anyone and everyone who loves the sky,” Williams said. “There’s no major requirement for us.”
The Carolina Flight Club will hold an interest meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 2 at 6 p.m. Regular meetings are expected to take place on Tuesdays at 6 p.m, with a location to be announced. Membership is free and more information is available on its GroupMe and Instagram.