Learning to Fly at Barksdale's Aero Club

Champion Tri-Traveler

In 1950 the first U.S. Air Force Aero Club was officially sanctioned at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska by Gen. Curtis LeMay. LeMay was the first commander of Strategic Air Command and later became the fifth chief of staff of the Air Force. Barksdale's Aero Club was one of the few clubs that could trace its roots to those early days.

According to a 2006 article by 2nd Lt. Frank Hartnett, "The Barksdale Aero Club was a benchmark program in many ways. It won the five-star award multiple times from Air Force Services due to its stellar safety record." Hartnett also boasted that the aero club had zero mishaps since 1981. He credited the quality of the staff and the pilots who flew in the aero club for that perfect record.

Aero clubs have played a significant role in building and sustaining ready and resilient Airmen. They are open to active duty, reserve, guard, retired military members and their families; Defense Department civilians; and Civil Air Patrol members. Members must be 16 years old and have a medical certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration to fly solo.

In 1961, the first female to fly solo in Barksdale's Aero Club was Barbara F. Welsh, wife of Capt. (Dr.) John S. Welsh, who joined the club through the "family plan." Her solo flight was in a Champion Tri-Traveler owned by the aero club. Flying schools widely used the Tri-Traveler as a trainer. It was a tandem two-seater with a 90-hp four-cylinder engine and featured a tricycle fixed undercarriage.

Having completed that training phase next, she began cross-country flying, which led to her qualification for a private pilot's license. Being able to fly on an equal basis as her husband, a licensed pilot, was her ultimate goal. The couple longed to fly extensive cross-country trips together for business, vacations, and trips back home.

Aero clubs were most popular in the late 1970s and early 1980s, with more than 70 U.S. Air Force Aero Clubs in operation. Over time, clubs began closing, shrinking that number to 48 clubs by 1989. When Barksdale closed their Aero Club in 2006, there were only 26 clubs still in operation, and by 2017 there were only 16.

Since aero clubs are non-appropriated fund activities, they generate revenue to support themselves. Declining participation rates led to financial shortfalls, forcing Barksdale's Aero Club to close its doors after more than fifty years in operation. The club was one of three Federal Aviation Administration certified aviation schools in the state of Louisiana. Besides flight training, the aero club also performed search and rescue missions for people on the east reservation.

To learn more about Barksdale or aviation history in Bossier Parish, visit the Bossier Parish Libraries History Center at 2206 Beckett Street, Bossier City. Can't come in, call 318-746-7717 or email history-center@bossierlibrary.org with your request. Be sure to follow us @BPLHistoryCenter on Facebook, @bplhistorycenter on Tiktok, and check out our blog, http://bpl-hc.blogspot.com/.

By: Amy Robertson