Would you pay $250 to fall 10,000 feet? Well, the Harvard Aviation Club is offering an opportunity for 10 lucky undergrads to travel to northern Massachusetts on Oct. 3 so that they can experience the exhilaration of skydiving. The cost covers all expenses excluding meals. Participants must be healthy, at least 18 years of age, and weigh fewer than 250 pounds.

The Aviation Club has a long history on campus, tracing its roots to the 1909 founding of the Harvard Aeronautical Society. The club once built its own aircraft (named Harvard I) and flew planes in its own field in Squantum, MA. The organization faded in and out throughout the century until it was reformed in 2007 as the Aviation Club.

We spoke with Benjamin L. Brinkopf '11, president of the Aviation Club, about this trip and the broader activities of the organization.

How many people lotteried for the 10 spots on this trip?

I didn’t know how many people would be interested but we had over 40 people e-mail in their interest. We have been trying to work with the company and different organizations in order to arrange a larger group. For those who we are not able to accommodate, we will give them a list of other skydiving options in the area.

How many of the people on the trip are members of the club?

Eight members of the club are going on the trip, along with two nonmembers. If we are able to arrange more space, we will take people on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Is the club going to be doing trips like this frequently?

We are going to try another one this fall or maybe another one in the spring.

What else is the Aviation Club doing?

The Aviation Club is partnering with the Harvard College Engineering Society on a trip to Washington, D.C. to meet with representatives of Lockheed Martin, the Pentagon, NASA, and Col. Myland Pride, Director of Space Policy for the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Photo courtesy of Behdad Esfahbod/CreativeCommons.