A plane climbs after taking off from the Kent State Airport in Stow. After a week of inclement weather and poor visibility, aeronautics students received a clear sunny day for flying. GAVIN JACKSON | DAILY KENT STATER

Credit: Steve Schirra

Ugg boots are out, winter coats are in, and faces are hidden behind wool scarves as many Kent State students and faculty walk through Kent’s windy, wintry campus. However, it takes more than the winter wind to keep Kent State aeronautical students grounded.

“January’s mild winter weather has been fairly good, and we’ve flown more than we haven’t,” said Timothy Palcho, chief flight instructor in Kent State’s aeronautical program.

Many freshmen began to take their first flights in January, since they are not allowed to fly until their second semester in the aeronautics program, Palcho said. There are 120 students flying in the program this year, which is an increase from last year, Palcho added.

The university recently purchased two state-of-the-art planes, called Cessna 172 SP Skyhawks. A workshop will be held from Feb. 11 through 12 at the Kent State Airport that will teach students, current pilots and Kent residents how to use the new digital navigation system inside the Cessnas, said Isaac Richmond Nettey, senior academic programs director of aeronautics.

The workshop will be offered as a one-credit hour course for students who are interested. The workshop will be held in conjunction with the College of Continuing Studies, and it will cost $250 to attend, Nettey said. There will be no discount for Kent State students, due to a regulation instated in the fall of 2005.

The fee will cover the cost of providing instructional manuals for the course, which include over 300 color slides of fully detailed instructions on how to use the new systerm, Nettey said.

A DVD, Flying the Garmin G1000, and poster will also be given to attendees. The poster will display the cockpit and controls of a new Cessna 172 SP.

“The new digital radar is very complex,” Nettey said.

The poster will provide information on different controls and displays associated with the navigation system, he added.

Capt. Scott Davis, a captain with Continental Airlines and Kent State adjunct professor, will be teaching the workshop.

Contact College of technology and Kent State Airport reporter Holly Mueller at [email protected].