CARBONDALE - Skies were crystal clear Saturday for flying, a great thing for SIU Department of Aviation Management and Flight as students and faculty members hosted 115 students from the Chicago area and 21 American Airlines/SIU volunteers whose American Airlines flight touched down early at Southern Illinois Airport.

That wasn't the only flying planned for the day, however.

Licensed SIU pilots flew smaller Cessna aircraft throughout the day with students aboard to give them aerial views of the campus.

It was the seventh consecutive year Chicago-area students flew American Airlines to visit SIU's aviation programs.

And the visits are paying dividends as department Chairman David NewMyer reports student applications are increasing each year.

"This flight of students is a little bit larger than we've had in the past. I know it's the largest we've had for an American Airlines (Career) Day," NewMyer said Saturday shortly after landing.

One group of students hailed from Dundee-Crown High School of Carpentersville. They were accompanied by their principal, Lynn McCarthy.

Gil Hernandez who is a senior at Dundee-Crown said he wanted to take the trip because he is interested in aviation engineering.

He was joined by classmates Jesus Gomez, Vanessa Fernandez and Natasha Hatcher.

"I've been interested in flying ever since 9/11. I'm interested in learning how flights are managed," Hatcher said.

McCarthy said the group had been informed earlier about SIU's Transportation Education Center, now under construction at the airport, and they were anxious to see it.

The building, with an anticipated fall 2012 completion date, will house all three aviation programs and the automotive technology program.

SIU aviation student Adam Lauderback was one of the SIU pilots scheduled to fly a Cessna.

Although he knew he would be logging a lot of flying hours and flying the same route over and over, he was ready to get in the air.

"I just found out yesterday (Friday) that I got hired by Central Illinois Air in Mattoon. I'll be doing a little bit all of it - helicopter touring, sales and maintenance," Lauderback said, adding that he will finish his studies and graduate from SIU in May.

scott.fitzgerald@thesouthern.com

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