My Aviation Story.

Hi ladies, and gents!

My name is David Duvak. I am based out of South Jersey Regional Airport, and occasionally fly out of Princeton Airport as well. I am 21 years of age, and hold a Private Pilot, instrument single engine land certificate. I got into aviation at the age of one! My dad father,(who was the other pilot in the family) took me up for my first of many adventures involving flying! He was a customer of various flying schools, and clubs based at Robbinsville Airport,  and South Jersey Regional Airport. He has since gone on the 'inactive pilots list' due to finances, and work realated things for about two years now.

I started training out of Robbinsville Airport which is close by to my house in 2004. I soloed when I was 17, and got my license shortly after I had turned 18. It's a feeling of a kind to be operating a machine that gives you the sense of excitement, and freedom where as driving a car, or getting by via mass transit doesnt! Afterwords, I flew to build hours, and eventully worked up to my instrument in 2009! At the time, the economy was, and still is falling. I noted how many pilots where starting to take aloft on the 'inactive list' proir to finishing my IFR. My goal was to always keep working towards building certificates for a job flying professionally. However, my flight path took a different, awesome, and adventurious turn when I decided to form a pilots group called 'Mercer Flying Club'.

Mercer Flying Club is a social flying club that  meets at Robbinsville Airport,(N87) monthly specializes in keeping the basics we appreciate in general aviation. Frequent 100 dollar hamburger runs, trips places with all kinds of attractions, group meeting, along with lots of times to hangar fly with one another, and a mentoring program of our own that coaches students in thier training. We are a social orginization on a mission to keep pilots flying.,Many of us rent from the flight school based there, while others rent from South Jersey, Princeton Soleburg, and all over the state to partake in our outings as well.  With our free admission to the club, we try to make our hanger flying sessions/meetings filled with guests from the industry to keep us motivated to fly, and to learn something educational. We have had a road trip to Mgure AFB nearby in NJ, and plan on touring many ATC facilities as well. We have merely forty members, and we are trying to keep a positive growth in membership. Hopefully, our group will keep pilots flying, and encourage students to continue with thier training as time goes on. I still want to pursue my commerical certificate, and perhaps the CFI license as well. However, the economy has made my income shrink so bad, that the only time I am able to fly, is when I am hosting flyouts with my group. I work two part time jobs to build flying money, and neither income is helping at all. I may not be in a finanical postion to imediate get a loan either. I also am planning on going back to Mercer County, or Burlington County College to major in 'Business, and Administration' pending I get a loan settled for spring semester.  I am holding my head high as much as possbile but faced with alot of obsticales.

For more information on MFC, check out our website. www.mercerflyingclub.org Or send me a note here! Thanks for letting me write this blog to you!

David Duvak.