Some examples include painting compass roses on the run-up pads of airports all over Michigan, raising money to sponsor aviation scholarships for deserving young women, and providing speakers for school programs. They also sponsor and participate in aviation safety programs throughout the year, and every spring they have an all-day safety forum for VFR pilots and another one in the fall for IFR pilots. But most impressive of the many things the GDAC does is the Pinch-Hitter course they offer annually in May . And it is all done with volunteer help. Organizing this program is an absolutely monumental task.
Enrollment is limited to thirty, broken up into three groups of ten pinch-hitters.
Each pinch-hitter must also be paired with an instructor who is familiar with the make and model airplane they fly. For the most part, each flight instructor has two students, occasionally only one, and sometimes as many as three. For 13 years, I have volunteered my talent and my time for a weekend to teach in this program. Job Satisfaction One of the most gratifying experiences I have ever had as a flight instructor occurred at the GDAC Pinch-Hitter course several years ago. If the daughter had had a student pilot certificate, I could have soloed her.