LAKEPORT, Calif. – Students in the Lake County Rocket Club were invited to take a field trip to Lampson Field recently.

Lake County Airmens Association (LCAA) members Damon Trimble and Rick Long, hosted the group. Tom and Tina Wasson of Tom’s Aircraft also opened their doors for a tour.

Students and their parents heard about various airframe control surfaces and saw a video of an emergency landing.

Students heard about the restoration of old planes, as well as the history of flight from the Wright brothers all the way back to da Vinci.

While students sat in the cockpit of a plane, the various dials were explained and they got to manipulate the rudders and flaps.
 
As students munched down on snacks, Rick Long told them about the history of flying in Lake County, including the good old days when Pan Am Clippers used to land on Clear Lake.
 
Students also got an up close look at a REACH helicopter.
 
Jacob Stahr, a second year club member from Lakeport, was very impressed with the AWOS (Automated Weather Observation System).

He described how it worked: “There was structure which shined a light to detect how much light pilots would have at any given time. If little or no light was detected, pilots would assume that it was cloudy or foggy.”

The AWOS updates and transmits its findings once each minute, 24 hours a day.

Student Dion Ramirez was thrilled to sit in the cockpit of Rick Long’s plane. He said, “Rick told us what the controls did and how to determine pitch and altitude.”
 
Rocket Club leader Bill Bordisso said it was a great day for the Rocket Club members. He said the childrens’ exposure to such “passionate and positive people made you glad you live in Lake County.”
 
The Lake County Rocket Club is co-sponsored by the Lake County Office of Education and the Children’s Museum of Art and Science.

This free club is open to any fourth to eighth grader in the county and meets weekly at the Taylor Observatory in Kelseyville.

The club will take a break over the summer and resume meeting in the fall. Call Bill Bordisso at 707-279-0923 for more information or to enroll.