Are you a pilot interested in liberal access to well-maintained aircraft?

Do you dream of learning to fly in a professional, safety-oriented way?

Are you an ex-pilot who misses the exhilaration and freedom of personal flight?

Are you looking to add a new rating such as Instruments?

Do you want to become part of an active flying organization?

Please consider Oxford Flying Club

Thinking about a Complex? So are we! Please contact us to discuss possibilities.

About Oxford Flying Club plus Membership and Contact Information

NOTE: We have entered an agreement to acquire a very nicely equipped C-182RG Cessna Skylane! Details will be forethcoming once the purchase is complete.

Congratulations to our own Edward Shaker who made his first Solo Flight on his sixteenth birthday!

As Ed is a modest fellow there were only a few close friends and family on hand to observe this momentous achievement. However we hear reports of excellent airmanship and three perfectly greased landings. There were big grins all around afterward. This is one birthday that will never be forgotten!

Congratulations also to Ron Schmecker, Ed's Flight Instructor and long-time CFI and mentor for Oxford Flying Club. Said Ron, "I'm very proud of Ed, he is a quick study and I would have soloed him earlier but had to wait for today. I've never soloed a sixteen year old. Hope to do it again."

We're all proud of course.

Burt Stevens, another OFC Instructor, commented, "I saw two of the three landings Edward made and was on air for his communications with the tower. His ability in the traffic pattern and communicating with ATC should be the envy of many members and other pilots with advanced ratings."

Flight training may begin at any age, but 16 is the youngest allowed by the FAA for solo flight. And a flyer must be 17 to earn a Private Pilot License. Ed - we look forward to next year when you meet that goal!

Our own Tony Vallillo will present "As the PRO's Fly" taking us through the ATP's view of a commercial flight from JFK to Rome with parallels useful for GA flights. Tony will address every phase of the flight from pre-preflight planning all the way to the layover. Topics will include weather, flight plan, fuel, documents, inspections, performance, crew, takeoff, radio, clearances, over-water, en-route options, approach, landing, taxi plus a few more suprises tossed in. This seminar promises to be a unique and very interesting glimpse into the thought process of a highly experienced professional airline pilot.

If you were unable to attend Tony's presentation at NVCC is April, here's another opportunity. This seminar should not be missed. Here are some comments by those who attended:

"Tony's presentation was simply excellent, far exceeding my highest expectations. He ran through the entire planning and execution of the flight, distinguishing the items that really matter from the ones that are important but less so."

"There were many especially memorable parts for me - the considerations for deciding on an alternate, the go / no-go decision upon some failure after take-off, exercising PIC emergency authority to take a nap if required, fuel planning considerations, the walk-around, and many others. While the specifics of our aircraft and missions are far different, the focus on safety and making the best decisions possible at every step were ever evident."

"Last Thursday whenever I looked around I saw everyone in the room completely spellbound."

This program qualifies for FASSTeam Wings credit.

About Tony Vallillo:

Lt. Colonel Tony Vallillo began flying with the United States Air Force in 1971 as a student flying T41, T-37 and T-38 trainers. He spent much of his miltary career as Pilot and Commander of the C-141A Starlifter and C-5 Galaxy with Worldwide Airlift Operations for Military Airlift Command. Tony has extensive military flying experience in Europe, the Pacific, South America, Africa and the Middle East including active duty in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.

Captain Tony Vallillo spent his entire 41 year commercial career with American Airlines, starting out as Flight Engineer on the B-707 and B-727 and quickly advancing to First Officer and Captain. Tony then became Chief Pilot for the JFK Base where he was in charge of over 600 flight crewmembers, and also Flight Manager of the American Terminal and Ramp. While at JFK he planned and participated in the design and construction of the new flight operations complex. Tony moved on to become Line Captain on the A300 and B-767/757 primarily flying international routes ranging through Europe, the Caribbean, South America, and the Pacific. Captain Vallillo retired from American in 2008.

Today Tony Vallillo is Lt. Colonel with the Connecticut Wing of the Civil Air Patrol where he acts as Command Pilot, Flight Instructor, Check Pilot, Chief of Standardization and Chief of Staff. We are extremely proud to have our friend Tony as a member and instructor with the Oxford Flying Club.

Congratulations to Oxford Flying Club members who earned new certificates during 2011!

Matt Baker, Kristi Dobbs and Illya Mowerman each earned their Private Pilot License, while Scott Oloff earned his Instrument Rating.

In addition, our Maintenance Officer Brian Proulx earned his Commercial Pilot License in January 2012.

Oxford Flying Club offers an atmosphere of safety and development where members can expand their flying skills and knowledge and earn new ratings.

Our membership ranges from Student Pilots through experienced Airline Transport Pilots with tens of thousands of hours. We all share the excitement and pride of every new member achievement.

Congratulations to our own Jay Sabot who won the very prestigious Bronze Lindy for his magnificent homebuilt Legacy N26XY. Anyone looking at this aircraft is impressed with the extreme high quality of workmanship and can tell it was a labor of love. Jay committed over seven years to creating this beautiful machine and involved many club members along the way. Not only does she look great, she flies like a dream and moves like a rocket.

For more pictures and background on the project check out Jay's Legacy Project.

Oxford Flying Club member Ed Chromczak was recently honored by the FAA with the Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award for his "Fifty Years of Dedicated Service in Aviation Safety". The award was presented to Ed (left) by Jim Adams of the Windsor Locks FAA FSDO before a crowd of family, friends and fellow pilots at a safety seminar held at Oxford Airport.

Ed has earned a reputation for going above and beyond, and always looking out for his students and other pilots. Stories of Ed's generosity abound, such as how he flew our Cessna to a repair station and convinced the mechanics to drop what they were doing to troubleshoot and repair a problem so a student could take his check ride the following day. Another time Ed personally pulled and cleaned the spark plugs so a student would have a smooth running engine for some solo work.

As an instructor with Oxford Flying Club, Ed volunteers as CFI for our Pinch Hitter's Course, Soft Field Landing Event, and Night Landing Currency Event.

Ed holds an impressive array of ratings including Single-Engine, Multi-Engine, Seaplane, Helicopter, Glider, and Instruments, and is a certified instructor as CFI, CFII, MEI and Glider-I.

Ed, congratulations on this very special award, and thank you for your countless contributions to the arena. It's a privilege to know you, have you in the club, and to have you as a friend.

The Wright Brothers Award   Montage of Ed's Career