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Aviation Events
Drone Pilot Test Preparation in Zoom (Thursdays October 11-December 15, 2024)
Students, do you want your drone pilot license? Join the Aviation Club then join the part 107 drone pilot test preparation meeting in ZOOM on Thursdays. For more information send an email to Aviation@humboldt.edu
Upcoming Events
Airport Day at Murray Field (April 26, 2025)
The Cal Poly Humboldt Aviation Club will be hosting Airport Day at Murray Field, a community event open to the public. In 2023, the event drew more than 2,000 people and more than 50 aircraft. Cal Fire, local fire departments, Civil Air Patrol, the California Highway Patrol, and others brought equipment and people to share their knowledge and enthusiasm. Plan on joining us April 26, 2025, at 4102 Jacobs Avenue, Eureka. Parking may be limited so please carpool. For more information contact Aviation@humboldt.edu.
Past Events
Visit to the Coast Guard Station (November 2, 2024)
The Aviation Club visited the Coast Guard Air Station Humboldt Bay. Enjoy this short video.
Professional UAS pilot Cyric Enright talked about how he got started (October 29, 2024)
Cyric Enright is working in IT as a Network and Systems Administrator. He shared with the club what he is doing with UAS technology. His passion for drones started when he was young, and his parents bought him a small drone that barely flew. He recently rekindled a passion for flight and “before I knew it there were people asking if I could come fly their property or business for a promo video or just to check things out on their land. I decided to get my drone operator license after reading about all the laws and their penalties”. Now he flies his drone for Real Estate agents, business owners, the company he still works for. He also loves flying for fun! He now owns about 10 drones and is focused on flying FPV!
Aviation Club Barbeque at Murray Field (April 27, 2024)
The Aviation Club advisor invited Humboldt County pilots and the Cal Poly Humboldt Aviation Club to Murray Field (KEKA) for a barbeque. About 30 students were able to talk with the pilots of 15 aircraft.
Presentation by Felicity Cross on Drones (February 6, 2024)
Felicity Cross is a Humboldt graduate, restoration engineer, and UAV pilot for the Yurok Tribe's Fisheries Design and Technical Services Program. She is the
primary pilot for the LiDAR equipped UAV pictured. She serves as an engineer in the Fisheries Design and Technical Services geomatics branch collecting and processing LiDAR data for ongoing river and stream restoration projects. In addition, she conducts ground surveys, operates the LiDAR sensors, and creates data products for the new Yurok Tribe Condor Aviation Program. In addition to operating drones the Condor Aviation Program has two large survey aircraft.
Cal Fire Aviation Base Visit at the Rohnerville Airport (June 19, 2023)
Cal Fire invited the Aviation Club to watch Cal Fire aviation do some summer season training at the Rohnerville airport. This was the second time the club was invited and it was so cool. Watch this short video to see water drop in action!
Crews practice loading fire retardant into a water bomber. The bomber then does a bombing run and drops water along the runway, lands, reloads, and does another bombing run along the runway. CAL FIRE’s current aviation fleet includes Grumman S-2T Air Tankers, Bell UH-1H Super Huey Helicopters, Sikorsky S-70i Helicopters, North American OV-10A (& 1 D Model) Bronco Air Tactical Aircraft and Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules Air Tankers. These aircraft, highly skilled pilots, and aviation support staff are strategically located throughout California.
Coast Guard Aircraft visit to Cal Poly Humboldt (April 20, 2024)
The Aviation Club collaborated with the US Coast Guard to facilitate a helicopter landing on a Cal Poly Humboldt campus. An MH-65 Dolphin landed on one of the university's parking lots. The crew had lunch with the Aviation Club and gave a Q&A session for students and the local community so people could learn about the aircraft and about careers in the Coast Guard.
Visiting the Humboldt Sector Coast Guard Station (October 14, 2023)
The Aviation Club and the university president, Tom Jackson, visited Coast Guard Air Station Humboldt Bay, learning about the mission of the Coast Guard and the equipment used to fulfill their search and rescue role. The club had pizza with a few Coast Guard members. A flight demonstration was done that allowed students to see firsthand the operation of an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter.
Airport Day at Murray Field (April 29, 2023)
More than 2,000 community members come out to see over 50 aircraft and talk with pilots. The community event was facilitated by the Cal Poly Aviation Club in collaboration with the Humboldt County Aviation Department. The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors also supported the event.
How to Takeoff and Land a Plane (March 9, 2022)
Tylor Lake is a local Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) who grew up in Humboldt County. Before becoming a pilot and then a CFI he worked as a firefighter and spent 3 years working as a firefighter on one of Cal Fires helicopters. He learned to fly in Humboldt County. After learning to fly he attended ATP flight school where he got his multi engine and CFI ratings. Tylor is currently flying a King Air for the Reach Air Ambulance service and he is stationed in Humboldt County.
Cal Fire Pilot Erik Hakenen talks Fighting Fires (June 24, 2021)
Erik Hakenen is an S2-T Cal Fire Tanker pilot stationed in Fortuna California. He has been a pilot for 33 years and flown professionally for the last 28. Over that time he has flown 28 different types of planes. Erik's logbook has recorded over 10,000 hours flown in 58 different aircraft after starting his professional flying as a flight instructor in Concord, California, 28 yrs ago.
"I started pumping aviation gas at Murray field in Humboldt County, each subsequent job/training class, leading to the next.The technical aspects of my current job, the training required, and calculations I have to have handy include firefighting tactics, aircraft systems, effects of temperature/altitude, etc. The unusually non technical aspects of tanker pilot work involves the amazing ability of the human brain to make calculations on the fly, more analogous to a basketball player taking a 3pt shot on the run. It is all about hand eye coordination and thinking way ahead of the aircraft. And I can’t overstate….
-How much fun it is to make a good water drop in difficult conditions
-How much fun it is to save a house!"