Summer aviation program a hit with local kids

LYNN – From paper airplanes to rocket ships, the science of flight was on display last week at North Shore Community College where area elementary and middle-school students participated in the Aviation Career Education (ACE) program.Sponsored by the Federal Aviation Association (FAA), ACE is designed to pique the interest of students in aviation careers at a young age and encourage children to take the proper courses needed to pursue such a career after high school.Students in the ACE program, for ages 11-14, spent last week learning how an airport works and what goes into directing flight paths and keeping passengers safe on a daily basis.The program also takes a look at careers inside the plane, and teaches participants how an airplane works, how to control it during flight and how to plan and plot their own route.With the help of the Microsoft Flight Simulator program, students can experience what it is like to fly an airplane and gain the knowledge needed to do so in a safe and successful manor.The program allows students to plot a route, take off and land, navigate the skies and communicate with the tower and other pilots.The FAA, along with independent airlines and airline businesses, face a steady struggle recruiting employees as many of the careers are overlooked in school when students are learning about their employment options.”It is a wonderful way to get young people interested in flying,” said program coordinator Trish Walker. “And at the same time, it is a great way for kids to interact with one another and have a good time during the summer.”Students in the ACE program took a field trip to Daniel Webster College in Nashua New Hampshire, one of the few institutions in the area that offers flight simulator courses.In addition to the middle school program, the FAA offered an introductory look in to flying for younger students aged 7-10. The “Magic of Flight” program included lessons on the fundamentals of flying, including the construction of kites and paper airplanes.Unlike the more advanced ACE course, the Magic of Flying focused more on the science behind flight than the actual act of flying. Students learned what it took to make something airborne and how to navigate something once it is in the air.The program also touched on weather science and map reading and making, and students were able to build and launch small rockets toward the end of the week.FAA administrators paid a visit to the college at the end of the program to hand out certificates, and Walker said one student would be awarded a $200 scholarship.The ACE program is one of several summer programs offered for students at NSCC this year.The school is also offering a cartooning course with North Shore cartoonist Marty Riskin, a Kids to College course at its Danvers Campus, a Summer of Discovery course where students participate in a variety of exercises that “nurture the mind and body” and the “North Shore Academy” where middle and high school students can explore such courses as fashion design and film making.