In addition to providing cadets with leadership opportunities and exposure to the general aviation community, the team competes against other colleges and service academies in the region under the National Intercollegiate Flying Association (NIFA). The club is led by Army and Air Force officers with a range of aviation backgrounds in both military and civil aviation.
The West Point Aviation club also operates a well-maintained Piper PA–28-140 Cherokee and rents other Cherokees or an Archer for flight training and competition practice. “The mission of WPAC is to provide leader and military skill development opportunities to cadets interested in Army Aviation as well as achieve consistent success at regional and national collegiate flying team competitions,” its charter says. Many of the cadets and faculty involved in the academic program also devote time to WPAC. West Point’s best-kept aviation secret is the West Point Aviation Club (WPAC). Cadets develop hypotheses, make test plans, and take measurements in flight. The cadets in the program take an in depth look at the engineering aspect of flight, how the aircraft works, and why. These Skylanes are used to support the academic flight program, which is part of the aeronautical engineering minor in the mechanical engineering major. The two Cessna 182s are operated by the Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering.
Stewart is a dual-use military and civilian airfield and is home to the 2nd Aviation Detachment, the “Wings of West Point.” In their hangar, across from two UH–72 Lakota helicopters, you will find the Army’s only single-engine piston fixed-wing aircraft. About 30 minutes to the northwest of West Point, “over the mountain,” lies New York Stewart International Airport (SWF). Many of them gained their passion for aviation as cadets through participation in one of West Point’s not-so-well-known general aviation activities. Today, most officers who graduate from West Point and become military aviators go on to fly helicopters only a few will go on to fly fixed-wing aircraft.
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