AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2021 - 43

THE WEST POINT Cessna 182
over West Point; 2019 West
Point Aviation Club team
members.
Michael Collins
has died
Pilot, astronaut, and author
Michael Collins died April 28
at age 90. Chosen as one of
14 members of NASA's third
astronaut group in 1963,
Collins first went to space
as pilot of the 1966 Gemini
10 mission. He also flew the
Apollo 11 mission, piloting
the command module while
crewmembers Neil Armstrong
and Buzz Aldrin took the
lunar module to the Moon's
surface. Over the course of
his life, Collins, who spent a
total of 266 hours in space,
was awarded the Presidential
Medal for Freedom, Robert J.
Collier Trophy, Robert H. Goddard
Memorial Trophy and
Harmon International Trophy.
and why. Cadets develop hypotheses, make
test plans, and take measurements in flight.
West Point's best-kept aviation secret
is the West Point Aviation Club (WPAC).
Many of the cadets and faculty involved in
the academic program also devote time to
WPAC. " The mission of WPAC is to provide
leader and military skill development
opportunities to cadets interested in Army
Aviation as well as achieve consistent success
at regional and national collegiate
flying team competitions, " its charter says.
The West Point Aviation club also operates
a well-maintained Piper PA-28-140
Cherokee and rents other Cherokees or
an Archer for flight training and competition
practice. The club is led by Army and
Air Force officers with a range of aviation
backgrounds in both military and civil
aviation. In addition to providing cadets
with leadership opportunities and exposure
to the general aviation community,
the team competes against other colleges
and service academies in the region
under the National Intercollegiate Flying
Association (NIFA). These competitions
reinforce a safety culture, maintain the
knowledge required to be a successful
pilot, and hone vital flying skills. The team
competes in two events per year: a regional
NIFA competition in the fall, and an invitational
event in the spring with the Naval
and Coast Guard academy teams.
West Point may not be known for an
aviation focus, but the influence of its graduates
on aviation is undeniable. The names
and exploits of Henry " Hap " Arnold,
Edwin " Buzz " Aldrin, Michael Collins, and
Robin Olds are known to most pilots. Most
recently, Anne McClain, Army lieutenant
colonel, astronaut, Army aviator, and West
Point alumna, was selected as a member of
NASA's Artemis team and could be one of
the first U.S. astronauts to set foot on the
moon since 1972. The West Point Aviation
Club continues to influence the next generation
of West Point aviators who will
continue to contribute to all aspects of aviation
in the future.
CHALIE GALLIAND is a major in the U.S. Air
Force currently teaching at the U.S. Military
Academy. He holds flight instructor
certificates for fixed wing and helicopters.
aopa.org/pilot AOPA PILOT | 43
TOP: DYLAN FERGUSON, BOTTOM: TANYA ESTES
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AOPA Pilot Magazine - July 2021

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