July 16, 2015
Dozens of children between the ages of 10 and 14 headed to Eastman, GA July 14 to 16, where they had a hands-on opportunity to experience rocketry, glider construction and aviation weather, as well as get behind the controls of fixed-wing and rotary wing general aviation aircraft.
SkyCamp is an annual event sponsored by Middle Georgia State University’s School of Aviation, and is aimed at getting children interested in aviation careers, including those in business aviation. The three-day camp is open each year to 45 students from across Georgia. For those who cannot afford the $100 tuition, a group of volunteers known as the “Rotorheads” raises between $1,500 and $2,000 annually to help give less fortunate students a chance to explore aviation careers.
Enrollment fills up fast, said school administrators, and there’s always a waiting list.
“The university once thought a lot less of this program,” said MGSU Chief Helicopter Pilot Michael Newton, a business aviator who has led the SkyCamp program since 2011. “They ran it for a couple of years and then stopped. But now they realize it’s an opportunity for both the college and for the aviation industry, and it’s gotten better and better each year.”
The camp begins with a rocket-building class and the launch of a weather balloon that reaches altitudes of more than 100,000 feet before the payload parachutes back to Earth. The second day features a tour of the Museum of Aviation at Warner Robins Air Force Base. On day three, students fly Frasca simulators, then, with help from a flight instructor, have a chance to take the controls of an airplane or helicopter. Traffic at the Heart of Georgia Regional Airport (EZM) is curtailed so students can launch their rockets from midfield before camp ends.
“They get to build gliders, tour an air traffic control tower and learn about aviation weather from a TV meteorologist,” added Newton, who is an emergency medical pilot, as well as SkyCamp’s director.
“I have a blast,” said Newtown, who is also an emergency medical pilot. “We divide these kids into three teams, and they compete in a scavenger hunt at the museum, then in the rocket building and launching activities. We all have a good time.”
The camp is already fulfilling its mission of spurring students to explore aviation careers. As a business aviation professional, Newton added that he is aware the industry is aging, and that attracting new talent is crucial to the seamless continuity so vital to the future of business flying.
“We have one kid who’s planning to enroll in the School of Aviation this fall,” he said.
International Business Aviation Council Ltd.