Cessna Aircraft on Saturday launched the inaugural “Cessna Discover Flying Challenge” during an open house in Independence, Kansas. The event kicked off a five-week flying tour for a group of selectively chosen ** Cessna Skycatcher** pilots that will include visits to various fly-ins, airshows and other aviation gatherings, all done in the name of raising GA awareness.
The young individuals taking part in the journey – they include eight Skycatcher pilots and one dispatcher – come from a wide array of aviation backgrounds and were chosen from eager applicants from around the country. Almost all have degrees in fields related to aviation, and all have close to or more than 500 hours.
As they traverse the country in the LSAs, Cessna has tasked them with the goal of spreading the love of flying and stirring up as much interest in aviation as possible. Readers can follow their journey at www.discoverskycatcher.com and catch updates and videos from their trips on Cessna’s YouTube, Facebook and Twitter channels.
“The Skycatcher is such a unique and accessible aircraft that we wanted to introduce it to the flying public in a manner that reflected the same,” said Tracy Leopold, Cessna business leader for the Skycatcher. “We are quite excited to have certified flight instructors as our interns – they have the unique ability to introduce people to the product and take folks on training flights to experience the aircraft firsthand.”
Next month, the Discover Flying Challenge pilots will come together at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, where Cessna will announce which member of the group has been most successful in using the Skycatcher to help others catch the flying bug.
