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aviators (Minot
Eloise Ogden/MDN Samantha Blessum, left, and Katy Larcombe are shown with Little Horse, a P-51 Mustang, at the Dakota Territory Air Museum in Minot. They are co-education coordinators of the ACE and PACE Aviation Camps held each year at the air museum.
Inspiring young aviators
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Samantha Blessum & Katy Larcombe help kids learn about aviation S
By ELOISE OGDEN
Regional Editor eogden@minotdailynews.com amantha Blessum and Katy Larcombe come from families involved in aspects of aviation. Both are kindergarten teachers in Minot Public Schools and they’re also co-education coordinators of the ACE and PACE Aviation Camps at Dakota Territory Air Museum in Minot.
The ACE/PACE program, fun, educational camps for grade school kids, started about eight years ago. Michelle Saari and Melessa Bosch developed the program at the air museum.
When the program started Blessum and Larcombe got involved as aviation mentors.
“We were still in college so we helped out
as needed,” said Larcombe. Blessum and Larcombe would each take one of the stations of the program to help out or were the teacher for a specific station. “It just depended on who was able to show up that day,” Blessum said. This is Blessum’s second year as an education coordinator and Larcombe’s first year Public Schools and they’re also co-education in that capacity. Blessum shadowed Saari before taking over as an education coordinator. Larcombe came on board as a co-education coordinator when Blessum needed some help with the program. “It’s nice having two co-coordinators,” Larcombe said. Both have family members involved in aviation. “My dad is a pilot and he’s also an airplane mechanic,” Samantha Blessum said.
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She said he got his pilot’s license when she was one and when she was in middle school he started crop dusting. Now her parents, Jay and Suzanne Blessum, own Minot Aero Center. Suzanne runs the flight school side and Jay takes care of the maintenance shop side.
Samantha Blessum is learning to fly and was scheduled to take her checkride in late July. The checkride is the Federal Aviation Administration examination a person must take to receive an aircraft pilot’s certification, or a rating for additional flight privileges.
Aviation also runs in Larcombe’s family.
“My grandfather, Neil Kelstrom, was a pilot and aviation mechanic,” said Larcombe. “I’d visit them (Neil and Eileen Kelstrom) for a week (in Turtle Lake) in the summer and he’d always take me flying. He had his own airstrip.” She said her dad, Rich Larcombe, has been part of the air museum since its early years and is its current vice president.
“I’ve kind of grown up here (at the air museum) and with my grandpa taking me flying. This (air museum) has always been kind of a second home so it was a natural thing when they needed volunteers for this education program, especially with me wanting to become a teacher – my mom (Cindy) was a teacher. This just kind of melded my two worlds together,” Larcombe said.
Both Blessum and Larcombe are kindergarten teachers. Blessum teaches at Lewis and Clark Elementary and Larcombe teaches at Longfellow Elementary.
They’re also roommates.
“We’ve known each other since about fourth grade,” said Larcombe.
“We went to high school together, we went to college together and work together here,” Blessum added.
Both attended Little Flower Elementary School and are Bishop Ryan High School and Minot State University graduates.
The ACE and PACE Aviation Camps are supported by the North Dakota Aeronautics Commission and Farstad Foundation.
ACE Aviation Camp, a day camp, is for third- and fourth-graders and PACE Aviation Camp, a week-long camp for three hours a day, is for fifth- and sixth-graders.
Blessum and Larcombe said promotion of the camps is mainly done through Minot Public Schools Digital Backpack, Visit Minot, on social media and by word of mouth.
Because the camps have been held continuously since they were started Blessum said people will also call to ask about the camps.
Kids attending the camps are from Minot, Minot Air Force Base and surrouding towns.
“A lot of kids that come don’t know what to expect and end up loving it,” Blessum said.
Some kids find out they aren’t that interested in it but Blessum and Larcombe said that’s okay. “We just like to expose kids to look at what you can do if you are interested,” they said.
Usually there are about five mentors for each camp, depending on the size of the group.
Blessum said they have mentors who are teachers and airplane people but it’s open to anyone who would like to help.
During the ACE Aviation Camps the kids learn about general aviation and all the things that can be done.
At a careers station that Larcombe teaches they learn about various careers in aviation including pilots, baggage handlers, work on the grounds and those who help at the air museum.
“We also teach them the science of flight – how airplanes fly and how they get in the air and stay there. We also touch some history of aviation,” Blessum said.
The younger students also hear about aviation from aviators Orville and Wilbur Wright, this year portrayed by Michelle Saari and Jenna Grindberg, air museum director.
A tour of the air museum to see upclose a variety of military and general aviation aircraft and how they can be used is part of the ACE Aviation Camp program for the younger kids.
During the camp for the fifth- and sixth-graders they fly simulators at Minot High School-Magic City Campus through instructor Meric Murphy. Flights of Amber, a hot air balloon business, brings their balloon to the school for the kids to see how large it is and how it works. The camp participants also get a tour of the Minot International Airport. The last day of the session Minot pilot Warren Pietsch talks about honor, courage and military aviation.
Minot Aero Center donates planes and pilots for the camp participants to take a plane ride on the last day of camp.
“It’s really cool to watch the kids experience that. They’re so excited,” said Larcombe.
ACE and PACE Aviation Camps are planned again for 2022. Two additional educational events held first in 2021 will again be held during the summer: Touch A Plane and Air Museum Storytime and Craft. The additional events will be open to students of any age.
“Our camps are free,” Blessum said, adding, “Any educational event will be free of charge for the kids.”
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