THE FLY IOWA CHALLENGE
Jorgenson recently received recognition for his work and dedication to aviation in Iowa.
by Jeff Jorgenson
An email came in the other day from a gentleman in Tennessee planning to participate in the Fly Iowa Challenge later this summer. As part of the challenge, he will visit all public airports in Iowa, flying his Piper Cherokee. He is an Iowa native who learned to fly in Des Moines and went on to fly helicopters in the Army National Guard in Boone, and then he had a 32+ year airline career. He continues to be active, flying his personal aircraft and participating in compassion flights to assist people in receiving life-saving treatment. He plans to make the Fly Iowa Challenge a family affair with a daughter and grandson who will join him for the mission. To learn more and see a list of pilots who have completed the Fly Iowa Challenge sponsored by the Iowa Aviation Promotion Group, see Fly Iowa Challenge.
Iowa Aviator Jeff Jorgenson seems to be taking Aviation in Iowa by Storm. Jeff is a retired veteran of the Air Force, where he served as an F-16 Avionics Technician and a Civilian Flight Instructor. Jeff taught flight students in Oskaloosa from 2014 until 2018. Jeff has gone on to publish an award-winning introductory guide to aviation.
Based on his book, Jeff has created a course for teachers to provide Professional Development credits for teachers in Iowa. Aviation impacts everyone’s lives in one way or another, yet few know much about it. It is rarely taught in public schools, so it isn’t really accessible to average students. Jeff strives to change all that. To learn more and keep abreast of his efforts, scroll to the bottom of his website, OpenAirFlightClub.com, and subscribe to their newsletter. Or, to support their mission, become a member! You can check out their posts on Facebook air4everyone and Open Air Education, or on X, or Instagram.
