Members of The Aero Club of Pennsylvania Visit the Tech Center
By Ginger Cairnes
Arriving by auto as well as private aircraft, several members of the Aero Club of Pennsylvania visited the Technical Center in late September. Those arriving by air were able to fly in and park by the FAA ramp. Attendees arrived from both New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Some of the delegation are also members of the Tech Center Flying Club.
The Aero Club, organized in December 1909, is one of the nation's oldest continuously operating aviation clubs. In 1910, Henry S. Gratz, its First Vice-President, presented a 35,000 cubic foot balloon with a capacity of three people to the club. The club honored the Wright Brothers 31 st anniversary of their historic flight by sending them a telegram.
In 1950 an Aero Memorial was erected on Logan Circle, in Philadelphia, near the entrance to the Franklin Institute. This memorial sponsored by the club honors fliers lost during World War I and World War II.
Members of this organization need not be pilots. Pilots and those interested in aviation enjoy the friendship and join one another in “fostering aviation awareness for its members and the general public.” The club also co-sponsors FAA Safety Seminars and awards scholarships to aviation students. Annual silent auctions are held to help fund these scholarships. More information can be found on the web: http://www.aeroclubpa.org/history.html.
The enthusiasm of the group was outstanding throughout the day at the Tech Center and attendees will “spread the word” about the research we are accomplishing and its effect on the field of aviation.
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