Thanks to a generous donation of $5,000 from the Lock Haven Sons and Daughters of Italy, the Piper Aviation Museum has finally had the opportunity to upgrade their flight simulator technology.

“We needed the money, as nonprofits always do, we went to the Sons of Italy… They gave us $5,000, and we (all) had a special person in mind (for the dedication),” said Charlie Rosamilia, Vice Chair of the Piper Aviation Museum.

The newly improved, state of the art simulator was dedicated to the memory of Dennis “Denny” Caprio, who was a long time member of the Board of Directors of the museum, and was president of the Lock Haven Sons of Italy from 1967 to 1985 and from 2011 to 2015.

“He worked for both organizations, and it was a perfect fit for our dedication,” said Rosamilia.

BREANNA HANLEY/THE EXPRESS Charlie Rosamilia, Vice Chair of the Piper Aviation Museum, is pictured with onlookers during the dedication ceremony.

Sons and Daughters of Italy President Dan Vilello unveiled the plaque that depicted Caprio along with a brief description.

Vilello shared his fond and humorous memories of Caprio.

“When he was president of the Sons of Italy, I came in after him… After every meeting Denny would say, ‘this is what you’re doing wrong.’ Once in a while he said some good stuff about us,” Vilello joked, noting the Sons of Italy were proud to be a part of this.

The system was set up in an existing Piper Tomahawk by Keith Kern, Owner and President of DataBit Solutions, Inc.

The Piper PA-38-112 Tomahawk is a single-engined, low-wing cantilever monoplane with a T-tail and an enclosed cabin for two. Board Member Bill Harvey noted the Tomahawk itself was once used for flight training.

BREANNA HANLEY/THE EXPRESS The plaque dedicated to Dennis Caprio is pictured.

It was Piper’s attempt at creating an affordable two-place trainer and flight instructors were widely surveyed for their input on the design.

The simulator is controlled by controls in the cockpit as well as a specially designed keypad that has controls mapped for the landing gear and other flying essentials.

The three-monitor setup allows for a forward and left and right peripheral view that helps add to the realism of the scene — as though you’re actually looking out the windows of the plane. Add to that the surround sound speakers and you have a very immersive experience.

“The idea was to make it as immersive as possible,” said Kern. “Basically this set up is (similar to) one used for racing simulators. The thing we took a bit of a chance on with this version of Flight Simulator was having the two side monitors — it’s still kind of in their experimental (phase.) It had some things we had to work through, but we tried to get it lined up so everything is as close to being on the same plane as possible.”

Onlookers will see parts of the plane itself moving along with the controls as well, responding to movements made in the simulator.

BREANNA HANLEY/THE EXPRESS The flight simulator screens are seen attached to the outside of the Piper PA-38-112 Tomahawk.

“You can really come close to making it look like you’re flying an airplane — for student pilots, you can practically practise all the different things you need to do to get your licenses,” said Harvey.

Those in attendance at the dedication were encouraged to try out the simulator — with a few attempting to fly the aircraft.

The simulator had the plane taking off from the runway at Piper, with extremely detailed visuals that made it feel as though you were flying a plane through Clinton County.

According to Ron Dremel, Board President of the Piper Aviation Museum, the controls are very realistic when compared to flying a real aircraft, with very gentle movements needed to keep the craft steady.

“It takes nice and easy movements,” said Dremel. “That plane will perform the same way the Tomahawk would perform (in the air.) It has all the specifications, the horsepower. It takes the same amount of runway that it would if you were flying a real Tomahawk. It’s not exactly the feel, but it’s pretty close.”

The Piper Aviation Museum will be opening to the public on March 1, and on that day the Clinton County Visitors Bureau will be sponsoring the first 100 guests who are of appropriate age who want to try out the new simulator. Outside of that, the cost is $5 to give the simulator a try.

“They did a really nice job with this. The hope is that this becomes the gateway (to flying) for people who come to the museum,” said Harvey.

You can visit the Piper Aviation Museum after March 1 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.

To schedule a guided group tour, call 570-971-7545 or 570-748-8283 or email pipermuseum@comcast.net