Along with regular business in Tuesday’s Plymouth Aviation Board of Commissioners meeting, Airport Manager Bill Sheley updated the board on the flight schools that will be filling the sky around Marshall County with planes in the summer months.
Sheley said there were 50 students in the CTE Aviation Education class for area high school students. Sheley said that nationwide the program has a total of 150 students involved, adding that Plymouth clearly made up a significant number of those students.
Another group of students will be those from CMA taking flight camp in the summer through the school. Students have until Friday to register for that program which will begin next week and run until July. Around 70 students take part in the camp each summer.
Sheley said the senior students, 15 in the coming class, “…fly all the time,” getting 150 or more hours in the air.
Neither school allows solo flights for their students. Sheley pointed out the reason was insurance. He said premiums had affected the way the schools are done. For a student to obtain a certification they would need to do so at an outside flight school.
Sheley told the board that of the last graduating class for Plymouth’s CTE program five are working in professional aviation, and four are in various aviation programs in colleges around the country.
Sheley also said that the businesses located at the airport – Alpha Flight, and Cleveland Helicopter Services were both doing very well.
Sheley also told the board that five “ag” planes will be coming to the airport. The planes will be spraying for gypsy moths between Plymouth and Argos for two days.
