“Turners Falls traffic, piper-warrior N6 zero-zero-julliet ready to depart,” came Phil Corrinet’s scratchy voice over the headset, before he pushed the throttle up and prepared for take-off.
The brown and white Piper Warrior pulled against its brake at the end of the runway at Turners Falls Airport. Then, after a brief pause to make sure there weren’t any incoming airplanes, Corrinet released the brake, allowing the Piper to hurtle down the strip and rise up into a beautiful Wednesday evening sky.
“It’s part of my ritual, to come up one or two times a summer,” the Greenfield resident commented later, while eating ice cream in New Hampshire. Corrinet, who is in his 60s, spent a career in sales and marketing before throwing himself into volunteer work.
Along with flying, Corrinet is on the town licensing board, reviews foster care cases for the Department of Children and Families, is a member of the Kiwanis club and helps place exchange students.
Corrinet has been flying for about 18 years and has both his pilot license and an instrument rating. He’s also a member of the Franklin County Flying Club, a not-for-profit organization that gives local pilots an opportunity to fly at a reasonable price.
Right now, there are 14 members in the club, which was started in 1947. Since starting, the club has owned about five or six airplanes.
Fifteen minutes after take-off, the plane touched down at Silver Ranch Airpark, a privately owned public-use airport in Jaffrey, N.H.
After pulling up onto the ramp, Corrinet killed the engine, climbed down from the plane and headed to Kimball Farm for ice cream, which is just a short walk from the airport.
In addition to owning the Piper Warrior, Franklin County Flying Club also has its own hangar at the airport. Members are voted in and must have a valid pilot’s license.
Members pay an initial fee of $2,100, as well as about $800 in yearly dues. Then, Corrinet explained, members can go online and rent the plane for $52 per hour, including gas; however, the price can vary and is sometimes even lower than that.
“If you rented a plane, it’s about $150 an hour, so we have a great deal,” he continued, adding that dues go toward plane maintenance, such as oil changes and engine replacements.
Cruising at about 2,400 rpms — around 115 miles per hour — back to Turners Falls airport later, Corrinet said he sometimes splits the cost of the plane with friends and goes to Martha’s Vinyard or New York for the day.
“It’s good therapy for me,” he said through the headset, while flying into the evening haze. “When you’re flying, you’re not focused on things you would be if you were on the ground. You’re focused on flying.”
You can reach Andy Castillo at:
acastillo@recorder.com
or: 413-772-0261, ext. 263
On Twitter: @AndyCCastillo