County Flying Enthusiasts Hope Club Takes Off

By Julia Bayly 'Bangor Daily News'

A group of licensed and student private pilots in northern Maine are trying to form the area’s first fliers’ club, with the aim of getting more people to enjoy the hobby of flying. “We really want people to know that aviation can be accessible to anyone,” says David Fernald Jr., a pilot and instructor at Northern Aroostook Regional Airport, where the group meets. Currently the only private plane available for rent in the region is for sale, and the club hopes to buy it and use membership dues to pay for operational costs. The group hopes to model its club on the Bald Eagle Flying Club in Portland, using their bylaws and working dues structure. “Aviation is not out of reach of anybody,” Fernald Jr. says. “There are ways we can make it happen.”

September 16, 2009