Subbing for the middle school gym teacher the other day, I reported for lunch duty at the conjoined cafeteria it shares with Omro High School. There I saw OHS Principal Brett Steffen, who acted on his aviation interest and earned his private pilot certificate late last year. (See A Rare Breed: Students Who Finish Training.) He was standing next to a split-level AV cart, which displayed three R/C models, recruiting students for the Flying Foxes, aka the Omro High School Aviation Club.
In between pitches to kids passing through the cafeteria, we caught up on our respective aviation activities. His were more profound. A serious, dedicated respect for aviation had replaced the gee-whiz wonder that overwhelms most students. He recognized this change in himself and said it gave him a fuller, more mature appreciation for flight, and its myriad responsibilities.
Afflicted with no other vices than aviation, chances are good that he will soon be the owner of a Piper Warrior. And as his effort this day proves, he hasn’t surrendered the dream of getting the Flying Foxes off the ground. With an Aeronca Sedan offered up for restoration by an area resident last year, the effort ran out of steam when the patron didn’t deliver the promised supplies and support necessary to undertake the projects.
School budgets being what they are these days, official funds were unavailable, so Brett sought an economical alternative that offered more control. That solution filled the OHS Aviation Club handout that itemized its extracurricular activities. Topping the list were flying the RC planes and helicopters displayed on the AV cart, building a two-place tube-and-rag airplane, and a free ground school for those interested in becoming pilots.
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