Recent Federal Aviation Administration rule changes have made earning a Sport Pilot license faster and more accessible, and a new flying club is forming at Baxter County Airport to help local residents take advantage of the opportunity.Under the updated FAA rules, the minimum required flight training hours for a Sport Pilot license have been reduced from 40 to 20. In addition, pilots are no longer required to obtain an FAA medical exam as long as they hold a valid driver’s license. Organizers say the changes significantly lower both the cost and time commitment needed to begin flying.To support new and aspiring pilots, a member-run flying club is now being organized at Baxter County Airport, with a formational meeting planned for January. Flying clubs allow members to share access to an aircraft, making flying far more affordable than individual ownership. The club plans to offer flight instruction, introductory rides and discovery flights for those wanting to experience flying before committing to training.
Gerald Gaige, a director of the Foundation, says “The Baxter Count Airport is the basis for these valuable benefits for our community – where people can learn to fly and access rewarding career opportunities in the aviation industry.”
FAA-certified flight instructor Cody Cline is working with the Leading Edge Aviation Foundation to provide an aircraft for training and club use, along with ground instruction and additional learning resources. Any revenue beyond operating expenses will help fund LEAF’s aviation scholarships and educational programs.
Anyone interested in joining or learning more about the club is encouraged to register for the organizational meeting by calling 870-480-5418 or emailing LeadingEdgeAviationFoundation@gmail.com.
WebReadyTM Powered by WireReady®NSI
Site Search
3628718241
Mozilla/5.0 AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko; compatible; ClaudeBot/1.0; +claudebot@anthropic.com)
