Two of North Penn High School Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) students had a chance to take their first orientation flight.
Mike Wister, a NPHS senior cadet colonel and Lorna Loughery, a sophomore cadet lieutenant, got to sit in the front of a Cessna 182 to learn about flying hands-on. The trip was between Doylestown and Pottstown and back. For the first part of the trip, Wister sat in front and on the way back to Doylestown, Loughery sat up front.
“I was eager to learn more about flying, to experiencing it rather than seeing it in a classroom,” Wister said. “It was great to get the opportunity to learn how to control an aircraft and get a firsthand view. A lot better experience than just talking about it.”
“I expected it to be somewhat complicated and I expected the controls to be very sensitive,” said Loughery. “It was one of, if not the best thing I have ever done. It was amazing to see the world from a different perspective and experience it with a teacher who I never thought I would end up flying with.”
As a part of the JROTC program, the U.S. Air Force funds one orientation flight for every cadet in the Air Force JROTC. The JROTC also has an agreement with the Civil Air Patrol, which provides pilots and aircraft for the orientation flights.
The flight that Loughery and Wister were on was piloted by Captain Matt Wendell, who is a science teacher at Penndale Middle School. Wendell has flown for more than 20 years, and has been a member of the Civil Air Patrol since 2003.
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