The Sky’s the Limit

Into the Wild Blue Yonder


George Carvalho
Photo by Hamish Reid

The stall warning urgently buzzes away, indicating that our single engine Cessna’s airspeed is critically low. The plane seems to be literally hanging in mid-air.
    Somewhere just outside the window is the 3,849-foot-high tip of Mount Diablo. Below us, and totally ignorant of our situation, rush-hour traffic snakes along Interstate 680. Awesome sights. But I temporarily lose interest in my newly acquired bird’s-eye view.
    Suddenly the plane dips sharply to the left, and my stomach lurches along with it. Ay caramba! Fortunately, we immediately level off, and our forward speed increases. That part of the lesson is over. I take a deep breath. Practicing power-on stalls is tough—even when, like me, you’re just along for the ride.
    Rayo Michovich, 51, who immigrated to America from Belgrade in the former Yugoslavia eight years ago, has logged a grand total of five hours flying as a student with the Alameda Aero Club. He’s piloting the plane. Later, he’s going to try some touch-and-go landings.
    Sitting next to him is Lt. Mike Klinke, 31, an Annapolis graduate with 1,300 hours of flying time in both fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft. He exudes calm and reassurance as he guides Michovich through each maneuver. It’s this interaction with his students (one of whom is his wife, Wendy) that he likes best about being an instructor. “You get to really, really know someone after spending a couple of months training,” says Klinke.
    The Alameda Aero Club is a nonprofit pilots’ organization with 181 members and seven airplanes that can be rented. Professionals are paid to perform bookkeeping and aircraft maintenance chores, but everything else is managed with volunteer labor. Club members pay a refundable deposit and a monthly fee.
    It’s cool for certified pilots because the aircraft are experty maintained, and all members are passionate about flying.
    Each lesson is usually three hours long—two hours on the ground and one in the air. The instructors charge $35 to $45 an hour and the plane is $90 an hour, so that’s up to $225 for each lesson. On average, it costs $7,000 to $8,000 to get a pilot’s license. Training through a private flight school costs more.
    Twice a week, Kureha Yokoo, 32, takes time off from her job animating blockbusters for Pixar in Emeryville and drives over to the North Field for lessons with Ben Freelove. She completed her first solo flight in January. This is a huge milestone for both student and instructor, yet there is still much to learn.
    One thing that gives Yokoo trouble is talking on the radio with air traffic controllers. So she practices these somewhat arcane exchanges of information by playing both roles whenever she can. “I call ground, clear myself for a runway, transfer myself to NORCAL ... call out traffic and work my way back to the airport,” says Yokoo.
    Yokoo’s favorite part of flying so far has been the inside loops and aileron rolls that Freelove has shown her, in addition to the normal stick and rudder stuff. They even put on parachutes and practice spin recoveries. “Being in a spin is pretty dramatic. The first few times are very disorienting,” says Yokoo. Although performing spin recoveries is not a requirement for obtaining a pilot’s license, it’s definitely an excellent thing to experience.
    One by-product of flying is noise pollution. The Oakland International Airport is one of the busiest airports in California, and club members are acutely conscious of noise abatement issues. They scrupulously avoid flying over residential areas when arriving or departing. Compared to the traffic from commercial jets and turboprops, though, the low drone of their single engine aircraft is hardly noticeable.
    Some members of the Alameda Aero Club, including Ginny Wilken, 56, own planes. Since becoming a student in April 2000, Wilken has accumulated 800-plus hours and earned an instrument rating. Her most enjoyable flight has been to Shelter Cove, a secluded seaside community 230 miles north of San Francisco with beautiful beaches and tide pools. This new chapter of her life means a great deal to her. “I always feel incredibly lucky to be up there,” she says.
    And, indeed, flying in a small plane is a special thrill. Anyone who’s ever taken a sandwich out to the airport to watch planes take off and wished he were behind the controls of a Boeing 747 en route to Hawaii should consider contacting the Alameda Aero Club about learning to fly. Just $49 will get you an introductory first lesson. After that, the sky’s the limit.
    Learn more about the Alameda Aero Club by visiting www.alameda-aero.com, or send e-mail to chiefpilot@alameda-aero.com.