OXFORD – For private pilot Dave Dibbell, one of life’s greatest joys is flying the private plane he keeps hangared at Norwich’s Lt. Warren E. Eaton Airport. Another, is sparking a similar interest in flying in others, particularly kids.
“We like to encourage boys and girls who have an interest in aviation,” said Dibbell, who has coordinates the local Experimental Aircraft Association chapter’s Young Eagles program. Through the program, he and other volunteer pilots provide free flights to children age 8 to 17 in conjunction with Airport Day at the Norwich airport.
This year’s event is scheduled for June 11, and Dibbell is already out spreading the word about the Young Eagles program. On Monday, he found a captive audience at the Oxford Middle School when he visited the Oxford After School Program.
Run by the Oxford Community Youth Center, the ASP provides a safe place for middle schoolers to go after the school day at no charge to parents. The program runs from 2:25 to 4:45 p.m. Monday through Thursday; during which students get homework help, a healthy snack and enjoy a variety of afternoon activities.
According to ASP Director B.J. Ross, throughout the school year individuals like Dibbell are invited to give presentations or demonstrations on topics of interest to the students. In the first half of the school year, for example, a martial instructor visited the ASP twice to give demonstrations.
The focus of Monday’s session was, of course, aviation. Dibbell discussed the basic principles of flight, and how flying a plane differs from driving a car.
“The airplane has another dimension,” he said, explaining that, unlike a car, a plane has three axis of control - pitch, yaw and roll - and a pilot must control all three. “That is the key to learning how to fly.”
Dibbell also talked about different types of aircraft - such as gliders, sea planes and helicopters - and threw in bits of aviation history including the Wright brothers first famed flight at Kitty Hawk in 1903, Amelia Earhardt and the use of planes in the military.
He also fielded plenty of questions from the twenty kids in attendance on topics related to flying, planes and aviation in general. One of those questions, posed by a young girl, was how does a plane fly at night without headlights. In response, Dibbell talked about navigation.
“I always have one of these in the cockpit with me,” he said, unfurling an aeronautical chart of the Central New York region. He demonstrated how the map could be used to navigate during the day. Then he unfolded a similarly sized sheet depicting an instrument panel typical of what would be found in the cockpit of a small plane. He explained how a pilot uses each of the instruments to either fly or navigate the plane, both during the day and at night. He also described how radio signals and global positioning systems (GPS) are used.
Dibbell explained that being a pilot is one of many aviation-related careers, not just being a pilot. Others include mechanics, aeronautical engineers, flight attendants and other airline employees.
He had a word of advice for anyone considering a career or even with a recreational interest in the industry.
“If you’re interested in aviation, pay attention to math and science,” he said.
After taking a few final questions, Dibbell left the group with information on the Young Eagles program as well as a stack of aviation magazines to keep and share.
For more information on the Young Eagles, visit www.youngeagles.org or contact Dibbell at 334-4102.