NIU students had an opportunity to be 1500 feet above sea level at 90 to 100 miles per hour last weekend.

Free plane rides were offered to students Saturday afternoon by The Flying Huskies, NIU’s only aviation club since the early 1960s.

Aaron Hansemann, a pilot for almost two years, prepared for the day’s first flight.

Students had to climb onto the wing of the single-engine Piper Warrior II to get in. The cabin was orange and smaller than the inside of a Volkswagon Beetle. Hansemann said the plane was built in the late 1960s.

After everyone’s seat belt was on, Hansemann started the engine. The front propeller began to flap around, and the entire plane rattled. The engine’s drone muffled radio chatter and restricted conversation to shouting.

Hansemann edged the plane closer to the runway, performed a flight check and revved the engine. He seemed unfazed when the engine backfired.

Hansemann maneuvered the plane onto the runway and waited for clearance.

It was time for takeoff. The speed of the plane increased until the plane sped down the runway. The wheels lifted and the plane was in the air.

Hansemann flew over DeKalb, around NIU and over part of Sycamore.

DeKalb took on a whole new perspective. NIU senior Maria Mongello said she never knew DeKalb was so big until she saw an aerial view of it.

NIU senior Chuck Larose, who never had flown in a plane before, said the ride was “absolutely exhilarating. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time.”

After about 20 minutes, the runway began to get closer and closer as the plane narrowed in on it.

Soon, the plane landed smoothly and the next brave passengers prepared for their ride.

The Flying Huskies is a club open to more than just prospective aviators. It is open to any student or faculty member interested in aviation or who likes to go on trips, said Flying Huskies President Joe Dunn.

There are 40 active members, five of whom are licensed pilots, Dunn said. “There is a minimal fee of $10 to $15 per year,” he said.

Every other week, the Flying Huskies meet for aviation-related discussions. They ocassionally host speakers who talk about aviaton. Recently, a United Airlines pilot spoke to the group.

They also make plans for upcoming events at the meetings, Dunn said.

The group makes about four trips a semester, allowing eight people per trip. Their last trip was to Dayton, Ohio and the group will go to St. Louis, Mo., in a few weeks.

On the trips, they tour airport towers and learn more about aviation, Dunn said.

The group rents planes from The DeKalb Taylor Municipal Airport, 2100 E. Pleasant St. “We rent four-seater, single-engine, propellor driven airplanes,” he said.

Dunn said the Cessna Skyhawk and the Piper Warrior planes rent for $42 per hour.