Young Eagles Soar at Perkins Field

By CORINNE MESSER

The Progress

Perkins Field Flying Club hosted its second annual Airport Open House on Saturday, Oct. 8 at Perkins Field in Overton. The club partnered with the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) Chapter 1300 out of Henderson to offer youngsters a free flight.

The pilots were members of EAA. Many were local fliers. All volunteered their time and aircraft for the event.

Each participant went through a simple, yet thorough explanation of the flight process, explaining how airplanes work, reviewing an aeronautical chart (or map), describing the interior of the airplane and explaining the instrument panel of the aircraft. Then they get to fly for about 20 minutes in the air around Moapa Valley.

Parents pre-registered their children online for the experience. “Registration is all online which makes it so we can provide flights to more kids.” said Ralph Miller of the EAA 1300 group.

Local youth Lyla Leavitt and Rodney Leavitt had the opportunity to experience a flight on Saturday.
They were assigned to fly with local pilot Tim DeBerardinis who led them to his Piper Cherokee aircraft.
“I was a little nervous this morning,” said Rodney before taking the flight. “But not too bad.”
“I’ve never been in a plane before,” Lyla said. “But I am feeling pretty good.”

DeBerardinis pointed out the various components that keep the plane in the air. The youth were then helped up into the cockpit. Soon they were speeding down the runway and lifted into the air.

All the flights followed the same course, flying north from the airport towards Bowman Reservoir and then turning west towards Red Rock. The children constantly looked out the windows and marveled at the overall views. Any fears of flying were soon gone. The plane soon headed south toward Lake Mead. Then the airplane circled back to the airport and began a descent to the runway.

“It was really cool to be up that high,” Lyla said. “My favorite thing was being able to see the whole valley!”

“Flying over everything was really fun,” Rodney said. “I especially liked the feeling of take off!”
Many volunteers helped with the open house, starting with the pilots. The Moapa Valley Rotary Club furnished breakfast and the Moapa Valley Fire District and Air Methods provided lunch to all the volunteers. Also, the Muddy Valley Irrigation Company set up barriers to help isolate the planes from the spectators.

There were several other things the youth could enjoy. A static, model rocket display from local member of the Tripoli Vegas Rocketry Club, Steve Holyoak. Next to him was another model rocket enthusiast and local teenager, Knox Whipple with his models.

“I have a passion for model rocketry,” Knox said. “I like the technical side, how it works and the aerodynamics. Someday I’d like to be an aerospace engineer or a pyrotechnician.”

A Ninety-Nines representative was available to answer questions. They are an international organization of women pilots that provides networking, mentoring, and flight scholarship opportunities to recreational and professional female pilots.

The Moapa Valley Amateur Radio Club was in attendance making it possible for the public to see all the flight paths on a television screen.

Returning this year was Taz, a retired USAF Combat pilot. He flew in a red Bellanca Decathlon. A member of the Las Vegas Valley Soaring Association, glider pilot Dave had his ASG 29, 18-meter glider on display. Both a Mercy Air 11 helicopter and LVMPD Air Support Ship were in attendance.

“We would be remiss if we didn’t give a shout out to Kasen Kohlhoss of Custom Fit Real Estate Group,” said Tim DeBerardinis. “He was instrumental in our efforts to have a crew car at Perkins Field this year.”
When asked how he felt about the day DeBerardinis said, “Today was a great success! We flew 71 kids..

We are thankful for our volunteers and presenters. We are appreciative for the overwhelming support the community of Moapa Valley gives us. We believe that working together we can inspire a younger generation to learn about the science of aviation and educate them about the opportunities available in the aviation industry.”

For additional information about the Perkins Field Flying Club, visit the club’s Facebook page at “PerkinsFieldFlying-Club” or send an email to perkinsfieldflyingclub@gmail.com.