Flight school taking off

ST. JOHN VALLEY/ Frenchville - With growing support from the community and aviation enthusiasts, the flight school, Aviation Unlimited, at the Northern Aroostook Regional Airport in Frenchville is taking off.

FROM THE TOP OF THE LONESOME PINES SKI TRAILS - The trails at the ski tow look different from the air. - Daigle image

In 2011, the number of hours flown by the school doubled over the number flown in 2010, and membership in the St. John Valley Aero Club has doubled since its inception.

Aviation Unlimited owner Dave Fernald, Jr. said, "The airport isn't just about guys who own airplanes, the airport is there to give back to the community as well."

He said airport services can help to facilitate those things in the community that just can't be done without aviation.

"[The flight school] is a business," he said. "But if that's all it is, we've missed the mark."

Fernald started the flight school at the Northern Aroostook Regional Airport in late 2004, with a Cessna 172 Skyhawk, a four-seat, high-wing fixed-wing aircraft, which the school still uses for flights.

SNOW SHOWER IN THE DISTANCE - A flight with new CFI Ron Apel yields a picture of a snow shower from 1000 feet in the air. - Daigle image

"We started out slow and small, with four or five students at a time," said Fernald.

He said demand for the school's services grew a little more each year, as students from as far away as Presque Isle and Houlton who heard about the training opportunities traveled north to the only airport in northern Maine offering aircraft rental and flight training.

In addition to the flight school, the airport provides a base for 99917 Leasing and Rental, owned and operated by Airport Manager Dave Fernald, Sr. and Charlie Ouellette, which currently has two airplanes for hire.

In 2009, five years after beginning the flight school, things started to slow down for the airport, said Fernald, Jr. The airport had previously contracted with the state to provide aerial fire patrol services. With budget cuts in Augusta and several very wet summers in a row, the state eliminated the contract with 99917 Leasing and Rental and downsized the aerial fire patrol.

FISH RIVER FALLS - Bales of hay and a snowshoer's tracks create crop-circle type lines and paths in the otherwise pristine snow at the Fort Kent airport near the Fish River Falls on a Saturday morning. - Daigle

In this financially uncertain time, the idea for the St. John Valley Aero Club was born out of a creative brainstorming session to figure out how to reach out to the community, to give back to local residents, to provide a forum for enthusiasts to pursue their passion, and to continue to offer flight training and rental at the airport.

The Aero Club has been a great success, said Fernald. Originally, the charter membership had 12 signatures. Now, the Aero Club has 25 members, and interest seems poised to grow.

As Fernald's business has expanded, so has demand for his services as a pilot. He now flies for MMG Insurance in Presque Isle, which has prompted the school to bring on board another flight instructor, or CFI. Ron Apel, from Dover-Foxcroft, has been a CFI for 35 years, since getting his license in 1976 while in the military in Spain. He and his wife moved to the area recently so she could pursue a nursing degree at the University of Maine at Fort Kent.

Fernald said he originally started the school as a way to increase flight time for himself, but he said as he trained students it became about enjoying flying with them, and the satisfaction of helping to train more pilots.

Recently the school has seen a surge in the number of young pilots, some of them in their last years in high school. Cody Anderson of Fort Kent and Jacob Boucher of Sinclair are two of those pioneering enthusiasts.

The airport had a Fly-In/Snowmobile-In event last month, and will host more on the first Sunday of the month for the next couple months, through the end of snowmobile season. Organizers encourage the public to attend.

Fernald and his father, Airport Manager Dave Fernald Sr., anticipate an air show, the first one the Valley has seen in years, to be a big upcoming event at the airport this summer. Last summer, the airport held a Fly-In that was large enough to border on being an air show.

"We realized we are way understaffed," said Fernald. He laughed. This coming summer, they anticipate having a WWII bomber and four fighter aircraft at the show, as well as two aerobatics demonstrations by professional acrobatics pilots.

Dave Fernald Sr. said, "I'm pleased with the caliber of show this is likely to be."

He said if all goes well, the upcoming event will be a big draw for Valley residents.