Beautiful blue skies draw pilots
Northern Air
Not a cloud in the sky! And it looks like it’s going to stay that way for a while, which is good news for aviators and we have had a lot of them at the airport this summer! There have been all sizes and shapes of airplanes and all kinds of pilots from locals just cruising the valley and stopping in for an ice cream; to tourists taking in the sites of beautiful North Idaho and borrowing a car to head in to town for a meal; to business men and women aboard private or chartered jets heading to important meetings in the far reaches of the country.
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| Questair Venture |
Last Wednesday, Gerald Morse, a cinematographer for Lucas Films, stopped in for fuel. His little blue Bellanca Citabria tail-dragger adorned with GoPro video cameras on every wheel and wing strut in various positions so that he could capture the beauty of the Northwest from the air. He is hoping to make a film of his five-week adventure for National Geographic.
A Cessna CJ3, Citation jet stopped in for fuel and to pick up four passengers before rocketing off to San Diego for a meeting. Some small jets like these can land here at the Boundary County airport, but due to the short runway length here they are limited in the amount of fuel that they can take on.
And if you have notice that large black helicopter flying around the area, it’s a U.S. Customs and Border Protection, UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter that stopped in for fuel while doing some work in the area.
Though the air around Boundary County has been clear and blue this summer there have been fires burning all around us, and two of Northern Air’s planes have spent the majority of the summer helping fight fires all across the western states.
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| Tony Azuyak |
Tony Azuyak and his wife, Peggy, both teachers from Kodiak, Alaska, arrived in Bonners Ferry for Tony to complete his commercial pilot certification. Tony had completed his private pilot certificate at Northern Air in 2004 and decided to come back for more. Tony flew his own plane down from Alaska and used it in combination with Northern Air’s Piper Comanche to complete his certification which took him a short but intense three weeks before heading back north to start the new school year.
Dominic Bovey of Sandpoint completed his private pilot license with us last summer, and this year he dug right into his instrument rating, pursuing his dream of becoming a missionary pilot. He also had a strict deadline to finish before heading off to school at the end of August and he made it one day ahead of schedule.
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| Dominic Bavey |
The Huckleberry Pancake Breakfasts have been a hit this year, with great participation from locals and pilots from afar. The last breakfast of the season will be held on September 29, so come out for the final feed! The donations go towards the Flight Training Scholarship Fund that will be awarded this December.
Local Bonners Ferry students between the ages of 16 and 18 who are interested learning to fly are encouraged to apply by December 1. For details on how to apply go to the EAA website www.757.eaachapter.org and click on Scholarship or call 208 267 4359.
Last year’s scholarship winner is Nathan Negoi, who is currently preparing for his first solo flight.
The Bronson Parsons Memorial Scholarship is being awarded again this year. Last year Paul and Carolyn Parsons of Troy, Montana, donated $2000 toward flight training at Northern Air in memory of their son Bronson, who learned to fly here.
Last year’s scholarship was awarded to Katherine Boger, Bonners Ferry, who completed ground school last January and is currently working towards her first solo flight. The Parsons would like to award the Scholarship to a student from the Troy area but others will be considered. If interested, please use the same guidelines as the EAA scholarship found on the EAA website above or call (208) 267-4359 for more information.