Marines Give Students Taste of Flying

By Joseph Ruzich, 'Chicago Tribute'

Marine Corps Captain Kevin Clark has been flying to airports across the country to talk to college students about flying planes for the Corps. On a recent trip to Chicago, he took nine students up in his aircraft to give them a taste, allowing each to steer briefly and, Clark says, essentially experiencing "an instructional period on how to fly a plane in 15 minutes." He also does a few tricks, taking steep turns and other "wild maneuvers," he says, to show them what the plane can do. "It was a thrilling experience," said Brian Henderson, a student at Columbia College Chicago who is interested in becoming a pilot. The aim is to enlist more students for the Marines Platoon Leaders Course, where students can start the program while still in school and then enroll in Officer Candidates School over the summer.

November 12, 2009