Services & Programs

RPI Fly-By

Each spring and fall, the RAF hosts the RPI Fly-By. For only $20 (only $10 for club members), members of the RPI community are chauffeured to the Albany International Airport, where they then depart on a 30-45 minute flight over the RPI campus and downtown Albany. The RPI Fly-By is an excellent opportunity to experience general aviation for the first time.

This event is offered to RPI students, alumni, and faculty/staff members. During the flight, the pilot will point out some of RPI's more prominent features - a breathtaking sight from above. This is a superb opportunity to experience aviation in a small aircraft.

The RPI Fly-By has been an integral part of the RPI community for many decades. Each year, the RAF has been very successful in making the Fly-by a reality for many aspiring pilots and the RPI community has answered with tremendous enthusiasm. The event is not only beneficial to the RAF members, but also to all RPI students. Our goal is to promote interest in aviation and aviation safety within the Rensselaer community, to encourage safe and economical flying, to increase flight proficiency of the pilots and to make flights available to those who generally cannot afford to fly.

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Field Trip Program

Each year the RAF sponsors a number of one-day field trips to various locations within the region. Our aim is to share the general aviation experience with interested members of the RPI community. We generally take two field trips each semester to places within about two hours flying distance. For example, in the 2004-2005 school year, we took a trip to Burlington, Vermont and took a tour of the flight service station at the airport. We also recently took a trip down the Hudson river coridor right through New York City and had lunch in Northern Jersey before heading home. Field trips are an excellent opportunity available to anyone with a remote interest in aviation, and we encourage all members to participate.

Private Pilot Ground School

Ground School prepares you to take the FAA written test and is an excellent first step for anyone interested in pursuing a private pilot's license.

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The RAF Flight Team

The RAF's National Intercollegiate Flying Association, or NIFA, Precision Flight Team has shown that it can compete on a level with best flight teams in the nation. NIFA is a national organization whose purpose is to promote flight safety through proficiency and education. NIFA employs friendly competition among colleges as a mechanism to achieve their goals of continuing flight safety. The events in these competitions emphasize pilot proficiency and safety through challenging precision flying and ground events. Since joining NIFA, the RAF has consistently placed in the top three teams in our region, qualifying for the National SafeCon the last three years in a row. This program provides a unique opportunity to improve flight and safety skills while maintaining proficiency with the excitement and recognition associated with the competition format.

Aviation Equipment

The RAF has always maintained a modest Club Inventory of basic aviation equipment for use on Club Trips, NIFA, and for members' use on a checkout basis.

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