The ISU Flying Cyclones is a 20-member group with a passion and enthusiasm for aviation.

The club, now more than a decade old, is open to ISU students and residents of the Ames community, with opportunities available for people with any skill level.

“The main idea is to endow the club with anything and everything aviation-related and to help non-flying members learn about becoming a pilot and putting them on the right track to seeking their pilot’s license,” said Brad Thompson, junior in aerospace engineering and vice president of the club.

The club members have assorted ratings and licenses, such as Airline Transport Licenses, and some are just starting to seek their private pilot licenses. The availability of seasoned pilots is helpful to pilot hopefuls because they can train together and form study groups for flying tests.

Thompson said the seasoned pilots of the club are willing to help newcomers at any time.

“We can do flying whenever someone wants to fly, because there are several instructors in the club who can train non-pilots. When we go on trips, non-pilots can ride up front and learn a lot about the airplane and systems,” he said.

Recently, the club started spicing up its meetings by implementing aviation games and replacing the club cabinet titles with more aviation-related names, such as “Captain” and “First Officer.” At the end of each meeting a “questions, comments and concerns” discussion is held to ensure the harmony of the group.

“Everyone gets to have a say in group decisions,” said Sean Crow, senior in management and president of the club. “We have the group discussion to help what happens in upcoming meetings and what we as the cabinet can do to make the group more enjoyable. And just like fishing stories, the club generates a wealth of pilot stories.”

A major enticement of the club is the opportunity to travel. This weekend, the club will fly to Duluth, Minn., to tour the Cirrus aircraft manufacturing plant.

Past flights have included trips to Miegs Field in Chicago, the Strategic Air Command Museum in Omaha, the 727 Flight Simulator in Minneapolis and a day trip to Kansas City. Four small airplanes took the 12 members to St. Louis last fall.

The club has some lofty plans for the future, including restarting the now-defunct Collegiate Flying team, which competed with other colleges around the Midwest. It also plans to acquire a plane to replace an old one.

Though members’ aviation backgrounds may be different, they all share the common love of flying.

“My favorite aspects of the club are that it’s growing and there is a strong community among the members,” Crow said. “What drew me to aviation was my family, including flying with my grandpa when I was growing up.”

Thompson cherishes the social aspects of the club by meeting and flying with other pilots, as well as the “great leadership experience” he’s had as a cabinet member.

Anyone with any level of aviation experience is encouraged to join.

“If you’re interested in aviation, you should join the club no matter if you have a license or not,” Crow said. “You will be associated with the right people to get you on track to achieve what you want out of aviation.”