Event Intended To Spark Interest In Younger Students At Samoa Field

The Cal Poly Humboldt’s student-run Aviation Club is the foundation of the school’s efforts to spark and support the interest of young students to come into the aviation industry. One of the ways it introduces students to aviation is through its state-of-the-art GTX MAX Cessna Advanced Aviation Training Device, or AATD, situated in the library of the campus.

The AATD features a fully functional cockpit, wraparound screens, and motion that imitates the feel of flying a real aircraft lithe the Cessna 172 or 182.

David Marshall, a Computer Science Instructor explained, “The amount of things you can do in the aviation industry is endless and can be up to your imagination. You can become a mechanical engineer, a technician, a pilot—but aviation also intersects with industries like wildlife biology, firefighting, and filmmaking. You might need aerial footage for a film scene or data collection for climate research in a remote area. It’s all connected.”

Regardless of whether one is flying airplanes, operating drones, or collecting environmental data from above, aviation has expanded beyond commercial airports and cockpits.

Marshall said the simulator is not just a high-tech, high-dollar toy, but is an FAA-certified training tool that students can log time in training toward the flight hours required for pilot certification.

He said, “It lowers the barrier to entry. Flight training can be expensive. This simulator gives students a more affordable way to learn the fundamentals and build confidence before ever leaving the ground.”

One of the Club’s outreach tools is the annual Airport Day, and this year’s event will be held at Samoa Field Airport (O33) in Eureka, California. It gives the public an opportunity to experience aviation up close with dozens of static displays of aircraft and drones from organizations like Caltrans, Cal Fire, local Tribal groups, and the Sheriff’s Department.

It will be held on Saturday April 26, from 10 am to 2 pm at the airport located at 900 New Navy Base Rd in Samoa.

FMI:  now.humboldt.edu/