On Saturday, November 12, the nonprofit A Different Point of View held a BBQ Fundraiser at Above All Aviation at the Santa Barbara Airport to raise funds for its aviation education and mentoring programs.
About 150 guests came by to enjoy the tri-tip and chicken barbecue. After the meal, this event skipped the usual speeches and dance band and instead offered the much more exciting options of experiencing a full motion flight simulator or taking a flight lesson in a Cessna 150 or 172. Even this society columnist got to experience the flight simulator and what an incredibly realistic and exciting experience it was. Guided by a professional pilot in the adjacent seat, the student receives instruction on all of the instrumentation and gets to take off, fly for miles over the scenic Santa Barbara area and then line up the plane with the runway and land the plane all by him or herself. This experience would surely thrill most any teen (or adult).
Major sponsors of the event included Above All Aviation and the Williams-Corbett Foundation.