Two Boy Scouts earning their Aviation Merit badge. Pictured are: (from left) Calvin Rezac, 11, and Denton Gerow, 13.
Sixteen Scouts from Troop 141 in Christiansburg worked on their Aviation merit badge in a workshop at Virginia Tech Airport Friday, July 13, then navigated a trip to Ingalls Field Airport in Hot Springs, Virginia 200 miles away to watch an air show on Saturday, then they flew back.
Three Cesnas were used in the training: a C177 RG, piloted by Bill Harris, a C172 piloted by Doug Juanarena, and a C177B piloted by Scoutmaster Mike Abbott.
During training, the scouts learned about different categories of aircraft, the functions of the control surfaces of aircraft, as well as engine types and aerodynamics.
“The boys planned the route, learned how to navigate using VOR signals (a navigation system that uses radio beacons on the ground help a plane stay on course) as well as learning the instruments used during flight,” James Lawson, a spokesperson for the troop, wrote in an email. “Some of the boys were allowed to “take control” and steer the plane mid flight.”
The flight from VT airport to Ingalls Field was about 40 minutes long.
Denton “Dudley” Gerow, 13, says he now “wants to learn to fly a helicopter, mostly to avoid traffic.”
Ingalls Field is a small Virginia airport on Warm Springs Mountain ridgeline at near 4000 feet at Hot Springs, which is known for the historic Greenbrier Hotel.
The airport has a single 5,600-foot runway.
