The Yorkton Flight (Aviation) Club was seeking to get back off the ground this past Sunday with a barbeque held at the local airport.
As club secretary Tom Kindjerski explains, the barbeque was hosted by the club in hopes of generating interest in aviation.
"We're just trying to promote aviation for anybody who is interested in it," he details.
Although the club has been under the radar for a short while, Kindjerski hopes that the long-running association can once again generate interest in flying small planes.
"We just got the Flying club going again this year after it was, not dormant, just not quite as active. We had pancake breakfasts every year and it's been going (on) ...since 1946. So, we've pulled a few planes out... (and we're) hoping to get some people out of town here today."?
With interest already shown by the Yorkton air cadets in re-starting a gliding program, the Flying club's message is starting to take hold.
As Kindjerski details, the sport itself is more accessible than one might think.
"We're trying to get people interested in aviation again and show them that it is possible to do aviation. It's affordable, especially if you join air cadets, it's very affordable...," he says.
?The key, according to Kindjerski, is to look at flying the same way that you would look at any other recreational activity or hobby. The costs are not that drastic when evaluating on that basis.
"People go out and they buy a newer vehicle or a sports car. There goes 50,000 dollars, well, that (plane) over there is probably worth 35,000 dollars. So, it's affordable," he offers.
Flying club President Keith Vaughan agrees.
"You got to look at it like a sport, anybody spends a lot of money on a sport. If you're going out to fly airplanes and it's just a sport, you're going to spend some money on it or you can go into the actual commercial end of it and make a living at it."
For Kindjerski, participation in the Yorkton Flying club is a part of what has been a life-long dream to fly.
?"It's a childhood dream of mine.?I always wanted to and I?never thought I could afford it...,"?he explains.
Kindjerski recalls the story, an amazing coincidence, of how he eventually got into aviation.
"My wife and I, she knew I wanted to fly. She went to the Wetaskawin air service in Alberta, I?missed her by an hour, (and) she signed me up. We didn't even talk to each other (beforehand), she signed me up and I was in there the next hour and I was signed up already."?
Buoyed by this outstanding coincidence, Kindjerski has taken to the skies and never looked back.
"I?just picked away at it... you do it a little bit at a time and after a year, there's your license."
Kindjerski, now a full-time airplane mechanic, has found a way to make his dream a reality.
Now he focuses on sharing the joy of flying with newcomers and fellow enthusiasts alike.
As a parting message, Kindjerski was quick to re-emphasize the point that flying is accessible and affordable, not to mention, fun.
"The one thing I would like people to know is that anybody can do aviation. It is affordable, it may seem like a lot but go out and buy a boat and some waterskis, it will cost you the same amount," he explains, "It's very affordable to do it. Just learn how to fly, it's fun."?
