WBTW-TV: News, Weather, and Sports for Florence, SC
FLORENCE, S.C. - South Carolina Aviation appreciation week wrapped up on Saturday and in honor of it, the Florence Regional Airport hosted "Learn to Fly Day" for future pilots.
For many, they could easily describe the feeling of flying as a car without a road.
From take off, you enter a highway of open sky with of glimpse of the world around, and below.
"Since a little child, I always wanted to fly. Dreamed about flying and when I heard about this I took the first opportunity,” said first time flier Ginger Lawrimore.
"Very seldom does anybody go, that wasn't fun. Most people say I want more,” mentioned Bob Young, private pilot with Windsock Aviation who assisted with the program.
Could you blame him? From personal experience it's hard to beat the aerial view.
"Being in the first time in a small plane...it was still great to be able to see and fly,” said Lawrimore.
However, as the nostalgia of flying grows the looming pilot shortage is also there.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor expects 800 fewer airline and commercial pilots in the sky come 2022.
The industry, right now only supports about 104,000 jobs.
"There are a lot of pilots coming up on the age 60 rule where they have to retire,” said John Ferguson, Deputy Director for the airport.
"The FAA has made the rules to be a commercial pilot tighter than they use to be and it require a lot more training and hours,” explained Young.
So to keep the industry from being ground, the Florence Aviation and Regional Airport wanted to take a day to teach a new crop of pilots either as a profession or in Lawrimore's case, a hobby.
“I always wanted to get my pilots license,” she said.
"We want to get the word out that we have an airport here and that we have some value to the community,” added Ferguson.
Overall, the Florence Regional Airport has a $48.5 million dollar impact on the local economy.
- Story and Video: http://www.wbtw.com
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