On Wednesday, May 29, during both tutorial periods, Archie Williams’ Aviation Club is hosting a community outreach event in honor of its updated flight simulator. In Room 217, students will have the opportunity to use the new simulator and get a glimpse into the world of aviation.

For the past year and a half, the Archie Williams Aviation Club has supported students interested in flying, giving them a place to dive deep into their passion. Rod Milstead, Aviation Club Adviser, believes the club is also a means for the community to explore aviation.

“Joining the club gives you exposure to a really enthusiastic group of people who love aviation, whether it’s purely as a bystander like me, love going to air shows, love watching airplanes, or someone who’s interested in it as a career,” Milstead said.

With this event, the Aviation Club hopes to connect with the student body and expose them to the possibilities of aviation.

“[The event’s objective is to] celebrate the arrival of the modern flight simulator software and also to meet one of our goals, which is to give the broader school community an opportunity to experience aviation,” Milstead said.

The club obtained its initial simulator pieces thanks to a grant from the Archie Williams Falcon Foundation. According to Milstead, the foundation’s financial gains legitimized the Aviation Club’s ability to accurately educate passionate students about the real experience of flying a plane.

“We were able to buy the cockpit in the fall two years ago. And I’m really grateful, it was not cheap. That [grant] has really helped us to have a much more realistic [flying] experience than just using a mouse and a keyboard,” Milstead said.

Given flying’s recent integration of digital training methods, the club’s immersive simulator is helping push aviation education in a more modernized direction.

After assembling the finalized simulator, the Aviation Club is opening its doors to further aviation exploration. Aviation Club President, junior Jonah Rossiter, plans to initiate a series of events during the coming school year, involving more student outreach with the new simulator.

“I’m hoping to get some more pilots to come in and talk to students, especially test pilots, military pilots, people with interesting backgrounds. I’m hoping to do at least one flying day where students can go up free of charge on a plane, and more airshow visits [and] airport visits,” Jonah said.

At the Wednesday outreach event, students can expect to fly the club’s updated simulator and learn more about the lunchtime club at Archie Williams. 

“We really, really encourage people who’ve never thought about aviation as an interest or a possible career or hobby to come and visit because there are a lot of folks out there who are passionate about aviation who want to bring high school students into it and help you in any way they can. And it can start at the Aviation Club,” Milstead said.