The flight school will offer airplane rentals. Courtesy | Facebook
Hillsdale Flight Center will open a flight school at the Hillsdale Municipal Airport in early May, offering flight training and airplane rentals.
“I was born and raised in Hillsdale, and I struggled to afford flight training,” said Travis Stebelton, the owner of Hillsdale Flight Center. “I’m not opening this to try to make any money off of it. The plan is to start with an affordable airplane, then any potential profits that we may generate will be rolled back into that airplane for instrumentation upgrades.”
Stebelton said the flight center has purchased its first plane and is waiting for the plane to be inspected for safety.
“My whole goal with this is to make it affordable,” Stebelton said. “So if it’s a cheaper airplane we’re hoping to be more competitive in the region, draw more people in, and make it more affordable. I do anticipate us having one of the lowest rates in the region.”
Students and community members who already have a pilot’s license will be able to rent airplanes after a ride with an instructor, so they can continue to log flight hours, Stebelton said.
“I really need to see how the community reacts to this initial startup phase and see what the interest level is and what the customer base actually ends up looking like,” Stebelton said.
The flight school is a way to bring more traffic to the Hillsdale Municipal Airport, said Airport Manager Ginger Moore.
“We have always wanted a flight school,” Moore said.
Freshman Xavia Valverde said she has always wanted to learn to fly an airplane because of a family connection to airplanes and the thrill of flying, but never thought she would have the opportunity.
“My great-grandpa was a fighter pilot in World War II, and my grandpa was a bush pilot for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game and he flew all over Alaska,” Valverde said. “I have always loved flying and want to fly bush planes. I love airplanes and to me the novelty of flying never wears off, but I never thought that I would get the opportunity to fly in Hillsdale.”
Stebelton said he hopes to make flying a plane achievable for everyone, especially students.
“We want to make it a more realistic opportunity. Depending on how things go in the first six months or so, I’d like to be able to offer scholarships to a few local students to obtain their private pilot license,” Stebelton said.
Junior Graham Wesbury said learning to fly at the Hillsdale Municipal Airport would be perfect for beginner pilots.
“I learned to fly at a controlled field which was just outside of Chicago,” Wesbury said. “The airspace was constantly packed with general aviation aircraft, airliners, and private jets. This would be a far more relaxing way to enjoy the hobby.”
Stebelton said the flight school will also offer 45-minute to one hour introductory flights to young people looking to learn to fly at a much more affordable rate.