J-Term at Carthage

Up in the Air

Aviation and Meteorology course prepares students to pursue pilot's license

J-Term at Carthage offers students the chance to chase dreams: They make telescopes with their own hands. They perform in operas. They see the world. During J-Term 2010, some students opted to learn more about the friendly skies in the on-campus course Introduction to Aviation and Meteorology.

Prof. Patrick Pfaffle in the air traffic control tower of Kenosha Regional Airport.

The course was designed to prepare students interested in aviation to take the FAA written pilot exam. A Carthage Symposium, it was taught by biology professor Patrick Pfaffle and geography Professor Matt Zorn.

Prof. Pfaffle led students in exploring topics in aviation: aerodynamics of flight, the function of flight instruments, airplane weight and balance, airspace regulations, physiology of flight. Prof. Zorn led students in a study of meteorology as it affects air travel: Atmosphere composition, air pressure, turbulence, storms, solar and terrestrial energy transfer. Knowledge of this information is required to obtain a private pilot's license.

During the course, the class visited the National Weather Service Center in Sullivan, Wis., and American Champion Aircraft in Rochester, Wis., which produces small planes. On Jan. 21, students visited the Kenosha Regional Airport, where they toured the airport control tower and a flight school.

Students learn about the tower's light gun, used to signal to pilots.

"I got a better understanding of what it’s like to be an actual pilot, and what you need to know to be a pilot," said Isa Fritz, '10, a physics major. "If you do want to become a pilot, it's good to get your feet wet before diving into pilot training. You get an idea of what you need to know for the written pilots' exam."

Students said that visiting Kenosha’s aircraft control tower, 93 feet high, was a highlight of the course. Kenosha air traffic controller Jody Davis and air traffic manager Don Mildebrandt answered their questions about the airport and their jobs in the tower. (“This job is known as hours of boredom intermixed with moments of terror,” Mildebrandt joked.)

"It's something that I've never learned about before," said Emily Stein, '11, a biology major from Madison, Wis. "I've always been interested in airplanes."

For Jeremy Brand, '10, a biology major from Arlington Heights, Ill., the course was a fun way to fill a Carthage Symposium requirement. "I've taken classes with Dr. Pfaffle before, and I've heard interesting things about Dr. Zorn — that he's a fun teacher and you learn a lot from him. — I was an auto mechanic before coming to Carthage, so I'm interested in airplane mechanics. It's good to explore."

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Read more J-Term stories

2011
J-Term 2011: A Time to Explore
Understanding AIDS
Crime in Media
Shakespeare in Rome
The Sociology of Adventure

2010
J-Term 2010: On-Campus Courses
Video: Ecology and Tropical Medicine in Nicaragua
"The Magic Flute" — An Opera in 3 1/2 weeks
No Idle Hands: The Social Context of Knitting
Telescope Making
Up in the Air: An Introduction to Aviation and Meteorology

2009
Art Meets Biology in Arizona
Forensic Science
Unearthing the Past in Omrit