Windy City Explorer Post #9: What We're About

Who We Are

Windy City Aviation Explorer Post #9 is part of the national Learning-for-Life program. Our local sponsor is Windy City Fliers which operates out of Chicago Executive Airport, northwest of Chicago. Aviation Explorer Post #9 has been around since 1995.

Learning-for-Life

Aviation Exploring is a national youth development program centered around aviation careers. It is part of Learning for Life's career education program for young men and women who are 14 and have completed the eighth grade, through 20 years old

Exploring's purpose is to provide experiences that help young people mature and to prepare them to become responsible and caring adults. Explorers are ready to investigate the meaning of interdependence in their personal relationships and communities.

These major organizations say the following things about Aviation Exploring:

National Air Transportation Association: "The National Air Transportation Association is proud to join with the Learning for Life Aviation Exploring program in their promotion of aviation, particularly aviation careers top both young men and women "
Air Line Pilots Association: "ALPA encourages you to volunteer your time and knowledge with the Aviation Eplorers as they investigate various aviation career fields. Your participation will help to enrich the program."
Experimental Aircraft Association: "The Experimental Aircraft Association is proud to join with the Learning for Life Aviation Exploring program in their promotion of aviation. .. The Exploring program helps build character through career opportunities, life skills, leadership experience, character education, and citizenship activities."
Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association: "Local Exploring staffs provide help and training for volunteers and organizations wishing to participate in this worthwhile endeavor. ... I encourage all pilots and local pilot associations to become involved in the Aviation Exploring program."
Women in Aviation International: "... WAI encourages you to volunteer your time and knowledge with the Aviation Explorers as they investigate various aviation career fields. . Together we can enrich the lives of America's youth."

Windy City Fliers

Our Post is sponsored by Windy City Flyers They support Post #9 in many ways including providing us with our meeting place, suppling us with planes and pilots for most of our flights, and helping us with classroom instruction.

Windy City Flyers is Chicago's premier flying club with a fleet of 25 diverse aircraft including Cessna, Cirrus, Pipers and Beechcraft? Windy City Flyer's flight school has over 20 instructors with over 40,000 collective hours of flight experience.

Chicago Executive Airport - PWK (formerly Palwaukee)

Chicago Executive Airport is owned by the City of Prospect Heights and the Village of Wheeling. It's located in Cook County Illinois at the intersection of Milwaukee Avenue and Palatine Road.

Chicago Executive is the third busiest airport in Illinois and plays a crucial role as a reliever for O’Hare International Airport. Palwuakee operates 24 hours a day year round. It has an FAA-staffed air traffic control tower that operates daily between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m.

Chicago Executive consists of three active runways and covers more than 412 acres. It is home to 325 aircraft, including 57 corporate jet aircraft. More than 167,000 takeoffs and landings were logged annually at Chicago Executive in recent years.

Post #9 Background

Windy City Aviation Explorer Post #9 began in 1995. A number of Post #9 Explorers have gone on to receive their Private Pilot's License, several others have gone into related careers such as aerospace engineering, a few have become aircraft mechanics with their A&P License, one joined AFROTC and is now flying F-16s, and another graduated from the US Air Force Academy.

Not all who join our Post continue into aviation careers. There are those who decide aviation is not for them and go in a different direction. While some may consider these a "failure," we consider them a success. One of our missions is to enable young people to explore aviation and determine whether or not they may be interested in a career in it. Without this program, they would need to invest considerable money and/or time before they could make that decision.

The Post Advisor is Doug Powers who recieved his Private Pilot License in 1967. Since then he has flown over 3,000 hours and has a Commercial License as well as Instrument and Multi-Engine Ratings. He also has an Airframe (repair) License although it is not current. Mr. Powers has worked for the FAA for 35 years in a variety of positions including Tower Controller at O'Hare. Currently is a Manager in the FAA's Air Traffic Organization. As Post Advisor, Mr. Powers plans the program and ensures the quality of the Explorer's aviation experiences. He can be reached at dpowers@aviationexplorer9.org.

Michael Haupt is the Post's Administrator. Although Mr. Haupt is not a pilot, he has had a lifelong interest in aviation and flying. He is President of Edge Information Group, a small Mt. Prospect computer company specializing in software for IBM mainframes. As Administrator, Mr. Haupt takes care of the paperwork associated with running the Post. He can be reached at mhaupt@edge-information.com or 847-736-5812.

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