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E-mail Home > Blogs > Get on the Bus > Archives > 2010 > July > 17 > Entry
High hopes for first Air Camp class
DAYTON - As the Miami Valley celebrates aviation heritage this weekend with the 36th Dayton Air Show, 40 middle school students will begin the inaugural session of Air Camp.
Organizers of the week-long program hope it will one day rival the Huntsville, Ala. Space Camp for the attention of scientifically minded students. “Immersion in the aviation assets and programs in the Dayton region is really at the heart of Air Camp,” said retired Air Force Lt. Gen. William V. Reynolds, who worked with a group of more than 20 area leaders since 2006 to create the program.
The seventh through ninth-grade students, who come from as far as Idaho, will get a behind-the-scenes look at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, take flight-simulator training and copilot an airplane, Reynolds said. These and other activities focus on improving interest in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math, known locally as STEM education. Having these budding scientists in the “workforce pipeline” is “critical for the future of our nation,” Reynolds said.
Tyler Johnson, a 12-year-old seventh grader from Springfield, worked tirelessly to raise the $900 tuition so he could attend the first Air Camp. A car wash, bake sale and donations from his church helped him raise the money.
Johnson is most looking forward to “getting to fly,” or copilot, a plane at the Dayton-Wright Brothers Airport in Springboro. “I’ve always had an interest in flying and aviation and thought this would be a great opportunity to learn more about it,” said Johnson, who takes STEM courses at Indian Middle School.
Air Campers will be housed at the University of Dayton this year. Reynolds hopes to add more classes next summer and eventually raise money to build a stand-alone facility. Just getting the program off the ground has been “a great community effort,” Reynolds said.
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