Aviation club helps students’ passion soar

Flying Frogs take a trip to tour The Experimental Aircraft Association in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. (Photo courtesy of Raquel Shay.)

By Georgie London, Staff Writer
Published Mar 20, 2023

The Flying Frogs student organization at TCU gives students a space to share their passion for aviation and build connections for their future careers. The club kicked off its start to the semester with goals in mind to connect new members and plan more events that allow students to get hands-on experience with planes and flying, as most of their events are land-bound. “We go to air shows and museums and have more trips coming up in the future,” said Raquel Shay, president of Flying Frogs. Founded in the 1940s, the club went dormant for several years.  It took off again in the fall of 2020 thanks to alumni Alex Beckett and Skylar Manning. The club has three missions: create a community for aviation enthusiasts, hear from people who have a career in aviation and spend time around planes, said Austin Dolan, a first-year pre-business major. “The biggest event that we did was [going to] the Commemorative Air Force, which is where we got to tour FIFI, one of the big bomber planes from World War II,” Shay said.

The Flying Frogs tour FIFI at the Commemorative Air Force in Dallas. (Photo courtesy of Raquel Shay.)
Many of the club’s members are engineering majors who have studied aerodynamics. Others have less background knowledge. “I think the club is beneficial coming from someone who hasn’t heard a lot about planes,” said Madison Briscoe, a junior psychology major. The club is looking for someone who could lead group training sessions on operating planes. In the meantime, the club is staying connected with aviation by doing events with airports and touring flight museums. The club hosts meetings and social events every month where members can network and find out more ways to become involved in aviation. Information about meetings and events can be found on the club’s Instagram page, @tcu.flying_frogs, and through the Flying Frogs Engage page.