AVED Journal Preview Issue

AVED Journal

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Discovering Aviation & Aerospace Education

Silent Flight

2012 International Aviation Art Contest

Girls Can Fly Arizona Partnerships Result in Success

Spirit of Flight

Soars in Colorado

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On the Cover

Cover artwork by Sky Waters of Minnesota.

Sky was awarded 3rd place in the 10 to 13 year old category in the national competition.

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Content From the Editor

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Girls Can Fly

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Spirit of Flight Center Soars

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Yuma CAP Finds New Home

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2012 International Aviation Art Contest

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Wright Flight Helping Kids Reach New Heights Page 10 Women in Aviation Celebrated in Ohio Page 11

Colorado Aviation Students Recognized Page 12

Fantasy of Flight to Hold Aviation Camporee

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Publisher/Editor/ Marketing Director/ Layout Design/ Photography/

Kim J. Stevens Andrew Stevens Andrew Stevens Kim Stevens

Contributing Writers

Claire Stern Penny Hamilton

Artwork by Xincheng (Jack) Zhou of Pennsylvania. Jack was awarded 2nd place in the 10 to 13 year old category in the national competition.

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From the Editor Discovering Aviation & Aerospace Education Thank you for taking time to check out the Preview Issue of the AVED Journal. The State Aviation Journal will be publishing this new e-magazine on a quarterly basis, with the first issue due out later this Spring. Subscribers familiar with the State Aviation Journal will also notice the familiar weekly “Skybrief” and website devoted to aviation and aerospace education. For a complimentary subscription go to www.avedjournal.com and click on “Subscribe,” found on the top menu bar.

Having spent a lifetime involved in aviation, I appreciate the need for, and the value of, promoting aviation and aerospace education in our industry. There is a tremendous amount of focus and energy being pumped into the education of our youth and adults alike, from folks involved in general and commercial aviation to government and institutions of higher learning.

The one thing I believe is lacking however, is a national publication that ties all of these efforts together. There are many exciting programs and initiatives being developed and instituted across the country and we are thrilled to bring these stories to you. As our tag line says, we will be “discovering aviation and aerospace education” together.

I hope you will come on-board with me as we report on amazing stories unfolding nationwide. Whether it involves scouts earning an aviation badge, college students preparing for a career in developing UAS markets or helping girls discover a world of career choices in aviation, we’re excited about bringing this information to you.

Today, we find ourselves swimming in information and our intent is not to drown you by throwing even more data at you.

Our hope is that we inspire you, encourage you, and give you hope. Hope for the future and hope that each new generation will continue to embrace an industry we all love very much, with new ideas, new passion and a healthy respect for our past accomplishments.

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Campers pose in front of the Embry-Riddle sign on the Prescott, Arizona campus.

Partnerships Propel ‘Girls Can Fly’ to Success

By Claire Stern 14 years ago Stacy Howard decided to create an outlet to introduce girls to aviation as a career choice and a pathway to personal accomplishment. A licensed pilot herself, she wanted to open girls’ eyes to the aviation industry, considered by many to be a non-traditional career path for women. In collaboration with friend and educator Sherlyn Halloran and in partnership with the Girl Scouts, they developed Girls Can Fly Discover Aviation Camp - a weeklong summer camp in Prescott.

Both Stacy and Sherlyn are members of the Ninety-Nines International Organization of Women Pilots and have deep roots in the aviation industry themselves. Stacy is the past Western Pacific Region representative of Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) and is currently the president of the Aviation Safety Advisory Group of Arizona (ASAG). Sherlyn spent a decade as a pilot at the Grand Canyon and then taught ground classes at Glendale Community College. Through their network of contacts, Girls Can Fly is able to offer a comprehensive camp curriculum that exposes girls to aerodynamics, air traffic control, aircraft construction, flight planning, navigation and airline operations. Throughout the weeklong camp guest speakers discuss their own experiences with the girls and answer their many questions. Most of the speakers are women themselves and the girls are able to relate to them very well.

Over the years Embry Riddle Aeronautical University has become a close partner and provides the Discover Aviation Camp with access to its crash lab and flight simulators. In fact, the camp culminates with each girl taking a flight with an Embry Riddle instructor and each girl comes away with her own log of the flight. Since its inception, approximately 250 girls from ages 13-18 have attended the camp.

The Discover Aviation Camp has been held each of the past

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EAA Chapter 658 members provided hands-on training.

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Girls Can Fly Continued from previous page. summers, except for last year when the bad economy combined with a lack of marketing proved too much to overcome. This year, Stacy and Sherlyn are hoping that a newly designed and more user-friendly website as well as additional marketing within the Girl Scouts will help boost interest in the camp to the level of previous years.

Girls Can Fly Discover Aviation Camp is always looking for additional guest speakers, new business partners and donors to help provide scholarships to girls whose families have financial need. As Stacy and Sherlyn describe it, the Girls Can Fly Discover Aviation Camp is the only camp like it in the world. Limited to just 20 attendees each Learning to plot a course. year, the camp strives to keep the ratio of educators to students very low. Stacy says that, “every girl comes away with a higher understanding of aviation and the aviation industry.” Sherlyn enjoys seeing the “light bulbs come on” as the girls progress through the week of activities and classes.

Although the camp is held in partnership with the Girl Scouts at the organization’s Willow Springs Camp location in Prescott, girls do not need to be members of the Girl Scouts to register. The 2012 camp will be held from June 17 – June 22. The cost is Stacy Howard $345 which includes meals, boarding, all of the programming and the flight on the last day. Girls who are not already members of the Girl Scouts Suzie Lewis in a Pitts Special. pay an additional $12. Scholarships are available and, as Stacy explains, “no girl will ever be turned away for lack of money.”

In addition to the weeklong Discover Aviation Camp, Girls Can Fly Day is held on the first Saturday of March. It is meant to be a “taste of camp” to pique girls’ interest and show them what they can expect at camp.

Many years ago when Sherlyn decided to become a pilot her father told her, “you are stepping into a man’s world, expect opposition.” Girls Can Fly is working to ensure that step by step, year by year that opposition finally becomes a thing of the past.

If you would like more information on the Discover Aviation Camp or Girls Can Fly Day please visit www.girlscanfly.org or call Stacy Howard at 480-987-9165.

Information on the camp can also be found on the Girl Scouts’ website www.girlscoutsaz.org.

Aviation campers learn about air service from a Great Lakes pilot.

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By Andrea Brennan

Spirit of Flight Center has over 1,000 aviation and WWII artifacts to focus on historic preservation and aviation education. A calendar of events is available at www.spiritofflight.com (Courtesy Photo)

Colorado’s Spirit of Flight Center Soars with Av Ed Outreach The pioneering “Spirit of Flight” is promoted in a special environment in Erie, which combines vintage and corporate aviation, while displaying over 1,000 aviation artifacts and WWII memorabilia. Re-enactors stage “Living History” programs. Monthly fly-in/drive-in events as Saturday pancake breakfasts are held at the impressive Spirit of Flight Center. Easily accessed by plane on the west side of Erie Municipal Airport-EIK and by road at 2650 South Main Street, the newer facility is one of Colorado’s unique aviation places. The calendar is posted at www. spiritofflight.com Founded and led by Gordon Page, the Spirit of Flight Center is of interest to novice and experienced aviators along with history buffs, veterans and their families, and educators and students. “We have a core collection which features World War II and Cold War-era artifacts and memorabilia. We also have rockets, the prototype Cessna L-19 Bird Dog, German Messerschmitt Bf-109, and a Fairchild PT-19 which was operated by the famed Tuskegee Airmen,” shared Page.

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“Our many and varied projects are supported by sponsors and advertisers, grants, memberships, and special events. We are all volunteers. The Spirit of Flight facility can also be rented for a memorable setting,” said Page.

More information is available by calling 303-460-1156.

Also commenting on the impact of the Spirit of Flight Center, Tim Guerrero, Redstone College Academic Dean and WWII and Korean War veteran said, “Our students have an outstanding educational experience at Spirit of Flight. They return to our school with a much deeper understanding of our aviation heritage. Many students comment that they now understand how aviation technology and aircraft design evolved. Many never considered Aviation as a career until they worked with the Spirit of Flight Center.”

Encouraging students to excel in their classrooms through aviation education is the goal of the new “Spirit of Flight Mobile Air Museum Experience K-12 Student and Educator Aviation Education Outreach Project.” The 24-foot Mobile Air Museum Aviation Education Trailer

will bring hands-on/experiential aviation education directly to students in schools in Weld, Jefferson, Denver and Boulder counties.

Denver Logan School for Creative Learning leaders, Kelly Pierson and Greg Holloway, report that their K-8 students are enthusiastic about the experiences with The Spirit of Flight Center “Mobile Museum and Aviation Education Outreach Project” is seekthe Spirit of Flight Center and aviation education. “We ing funding to help underwrite the expenses to directly reach underserved and minority Colorado feel fortunate that topics such K-12 students at their schools in Weld, Jefferson, Denver and Boulder counties. as aerodynamics, airplane adapted many of our more traditional aviation educational mechanics, World War II artifacts from historic aviation classroom projects to reach our underserved and Spanishfigures as WASPs and Tuskegee Airmen are exciting to speaking students in our outreach project,” explained our students.” volunteer, Dr. Penny Rafferty Hamilton. “Our mobile Because recent research from the National Committee museum is even wheel-chair accessible. We just need a for Responsible Philanthropy revealed a large portion few donors and sponsors who believe in our vision to take of funding goes to older museums and long-established aviation education to the schools, instead of hoping the institutions, grant-making organizations need to be more school administration will find the money for a field trip receptive to newer and innovative projects which reach to the air museum.” broader audiences. “The Spirit of Flight Center has

Spirit of Flight Center in Erie, Colorado, is easily accessible by car at 2650 South Main Street and by airplane on the West side of the Erie Municipal Airport EIK. (Courtesy photo)

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Wright Flight

Helping Kids Reach New Heights

By Claire Stern What motivates us to excel? What drives us to go above and beyond? Is the love of aviation, the desire to soar through the clouds, in and of itself a motivator? For more than 20,000 students who have graduated from Wright Flight, the goal of flying is exactly the motivation they needed to stay in school, get better grades, and stay away from drugs.

Based in Tucson, Arizona, Wright Flight is celebrating its 25th anniversary with the goal of “Helping Kids Reach New Heights.” Each year approximately 20-30 schools take part in the program. In order to participate, students must sign a contract promising to raise their grade in at least one subject, stay in school, stay out of gangs and say no to drugs. Once they’ve signed the contract, students go through a nine-week course Left to right are, William ‘Rol’ Murrow, Wolf Aviation Fund, Robin Stoddard and on aviation history in which they learn about Jonathan Gaffney, President of the National Aeronautic Association. everything from the Wright brothers to space Wright Flight has three programs for students. The Minuteflight. Students who abide by their contract and man program is for students in grades 3-8, the Wright Flight pass the Wright Flight “History of Flight” test earn the thrill program is for students in grades 5-12 and the Voyager proof a lifetime: each student takes to the skies with a volunteer gram for students in grades 4-12. Although there are Wright licensed pilot, takes over the controls and co-pilots the plane.

For Wright Flight participants, graduation day is actually called Flight chapters across the nation, approximately half of the 20,000 students who have graduated from the program have “Flyday.”

Retired Lt. Col. Robin Stoddard, founder and executive direc- been from Pima County schools. Founded in 1986, Wright Flight now has two paid staff members and a team of 60-80 tor of Wright Flight, emphasizes that each student must earn volunteers. the privilege of participating in Flyday and co-piloting a flight.

Stoddard is gaining national recognition for the Wright Flight He says, “We do not give out charity flights.” And as a former program. In September he went to Washington D.C. to receive fighter pilot he means it. Approximately 60-70% of students the 2011 Outstanding Achievement in Advancement of Public earn the right to fly, but not all of them.

Benefit Flying Award from the National Aeronautic AssociaBorn on an F-86 base in Japan to parents who were both pition and the Air Care Alliance. The award is part of the Public lots, Stoddard spent 30 years as an Air Force fighter pilot himBenefit Flying Awards Program. self. He flew three tours in Iraq and two tours in Afghanistan “We were very honored to have presented this award to Mr. where he earned the Bronze Star and Air Medal. He also flew tours in Panama and Europe. In fact, one of his three children is Stoddard,” says Jonathan Gaffney, President and CEO of the now an Air Force pilot training to become an A-10 fighter pilot. National Aeronautic Association. “Public Benefit Flying is a very important component of the aviation industry in the For some parents that would be a scary thought, but not for United States and the remarkable efforts of Mr. Stoddard is a Stoddard. “I was flying in combat when I was 50 years old and great example of that. He is most deserving of this honor.” my mom was still worried for me,” he says with a smile in his Now retired from the Air Force, Stoddard certainly is still at voice. “I don’t fret too much.” the forefront of aviation. He teaches A-10 pilot tactics in preStoddard knows first-hand the thrill of flying and what an combat training at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, but one of incredible motivating force it can be for students. “Kids are Stoddard’s greatest thrills is hearing from former Wright Flight naturally enthusiastic around airplanes,” says Stoddard, “some students. “I had a guy come up to me 15 years later with a Pokids want to fly so badly that they work really hard.” These are laroid picture from his Flyday,” he says, “and last fall we got a the students who pass the program and participate in Flyday.

This year alone, Stoddard anticipates Wright Flight will host 20 $1,000 check from a man who went through Wright Flight 18 Flydays for different schools.

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Wright Flight Continued from previous page. years ago and went on to become an Air Force pilot.”

Wright Flight is a 501(c)(3) non-profit. The organization is always looking for donors who would like to pass on their love of flying and their experiences in aviation with a new generation. Stoddard says the organization’s greatest need is money - Wright Flight’s costs associated with insurance, fuel and maintenance are significant. Wright Flight is also in need of more airplanes – it currently owns three, but would like to be able to add additional planes to its fleet. In addition, Wright Flight always needs more volunteers. Stoddard says that new volunteers provide different approaches, develop new ideas and help keep the organization moving forward.

If you would like to contract Wright Flight to make a donation, find out more information, or inquire about enrolling your child’s school in the program, visit wrightflight.org or call 520294-0404.

Retired Lt. Colonel Robin Stoddard.

First Licensed Woman Pilot Celebrated at Women’s Air & Space Museum in Ohio Harriet Quimby, in 1911, became the first American woman to earn a pilot’s license. Her achievements were celebrated on Saturday, March 10, at the International Women’s Air & Space Museum in Cleveland, Ohio during the museum’s seventh annual free family day. The event was open to the public and took place from 10 a.m.

– 4 p.m.

Parking was made available in the Burke Lakefront Airport terminal municipal parking lot and landing fees at the airport (BKL) were waived for visitors to the museum that day. Support for this year’s Family Day was provided

by Dollar Bank, Dominion, and Cuyahoga Arts & Culture.

The museum celebrated Women’s History Month throughout the day and gave visitors the opportunity to learn about Harriet Quimby’s life and accomplishments through a biographical timeline of hands-on activities, including a “Pilot’s License” Photo Booth and a “Design Your Own Fashion” station. Free activities were also provided by several area organizations, including the Houde School of Acting and Olmsted Performing Arts who will be teaching acting lessons, Western Reserve Historical Society, NASA, and a Harriet Quimby re-enactor.

Families and youth groups were encouraged to attend this free special event, museum officials said.

The public celebration of women’s history in this country began in 1978 as “Women’s History Week” in Sonoma County, California. The week, including March 8, International Women’s Day, was selected. In 1981, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Rep. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) co-sponsored a joint Congressional resolution proclaiming a national Women’s History Week. In 1987, Congress expanded the celebration to a month, and March was declared Women’s History Month.

The International Women’s Air & Space Museum is located in the Burke Lakefront Airport terminal building, 1501 N. Marginal Road. Museum admission is free and exhibits are open 8 am – 8 pm daily. The Fay Gillis Wells Research Center and Gift Shop are open 10 am to 4 pm Monday through Saturday. The Joan L. Hrubec Aviation Education Center is open to the public on Saturdays and hosts school groups during the week.

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Colorado Aviation Students Win Recognition

“Colorado Northwestern Community College (CNCC) winning National Intercollegiate Flying Association (NIFA) aviation team at Rangely airport-4V0-Colorado. CNCC pilots placed 1st as the Top 2-year School. (Courtesy photograph CNCC Aero Club)”

By Penny Hamilton Legendary Football Coach, Vince Lombardi, said “Winning isn’t everything, but the will to win is everything.”

That winning attitude has been recently demonstrated in the sky by Metropolitan State College of Denver’s Precision Flight Team when they won the prestigious National Intercollegiate Flying Association (NIFA) Loening Trophy.

According to Wikipedia, Grover Loening was awarded the first-ever degree in Aeronautical Engineering, which he earned at Columbia University. After his graduation, he joined the staff of New York’s Queen Aeroplane Company and, later managed the Wright Company factory in Dayton, Ohio for Orville. In 1917, Loening formed his own company and had an important impact on aircraft design and aviation.

The traveling Loening Trophy is made of silver and was designed by Tiffany & Co. in 1929. The award represents aviation excellence in academics, community involvement and performance. NIFA aviation competitions are known as SAFECONS, which stands for SAfety and Flight Evaluation CONferences, which are held regionally and Page 12 AVED Journal

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then, nationally.

Metro State Aviation and Aerospace Flight Team Advisors are Zachary Pegg and Audrey Scully. The Captain of this winning team is Shaun Lee. Team competitors are Mitchell Ambrosich, Emily Applegate, Josh Falgoust, Zach Floto, Anthony DeFranco, Vincent Martis, Thomas Staudt, and Nicholas Marchese.

Recently the team partnered with the Colorado Aviation Business Association (www.mycaba.org) to help veterans and their families in need. Metro Precision Flight Team delivered 1,500 pounds of food and holiday gifts to VFW Post members for distribution in Montrose, Burlington and Trinidad. CABA’s mission is to promote aviation and related business throughout Colorado. This was a win-win situation for all involved.

Another winning aviation team is located in Rangely at the Colorado Northwestern Community College (see www.cncc.edu) which won the NIFA 1st Place for Collegiate Aviation Progress Award. Coaches are David Blood, Jason Krueger and Cordero Valdez. The team Captain is Jennesee Forster. Marcus Kendall won the Regional Top

Pilot Award and Colorado Northwestern Community College placed first as the Top 2-year School.

Colorado Ninety-Nines support NIFA programs. Recently, Bonita Ades served as a SAFECONS Assistant Judge.

Linda Horn was an Assistant Score Keeper and Sue Osborne, an Assistant Judge. Mentoring others is a role Colorado 99s take very seriously. Learn more about the 99s at www.ninety-nines.org.

Vince Lombardi was an outstanding mentor. He said, “Individual commitment to a group effort – that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.” That is what makes aviation both a winning individual and team effort.

Colorado SAFECON volunteers, Jon and Bonita Ades, score Precision Flight teams from the region competing in the National Intercollegiate Flying Association competition held at the Rocky Mountain Regional Airport. (Courtesy photo: Margot Plummer, Colorado 99)

The Metro State Aviation and Aerospace Precision Flight Team recently partnered with the Colorado Aviation Business Association to help veterans and their families. They delivered 1,500 pounds of food and gifts to VFW Post members for distribution throughout the communities of Montrose, Burlington and Trinidad. (Courtesy Photo Chris Swathwood - Colorado Aviation Business Association)

Fantasy of Flight to Hold Aviation Camporee in March

Scouts of all ages will gather at Central Florida’s premier aviation attraction, Fantasy of Flight, for the attraction’s Annual Scout Aviation Camporee, Friday, March 16 through Sunday, March 18, 2012.

Troops will earn their aviation merit badges with the help of skilled aviation experts and interactive activities and experiences with some of the attraction’s more than 40 rare and vintage aircraft. Fantasy of Flight has hosted thousands of boy scouts in total during the previous annual camporees, where troops have come on a mission to earn their merit badges and have enjoyed the added benefit of bonding over their fascination with aviation with their fellow boy scouts.

Scouts can practice their primitive camping skills while participating in a variety of educational and immersive aviationthemed activities. Not only will Camporee-goers tour Fantasy of Flight and visit real working aircraft maintenance and restoration areas, but they also will have the chance to talk with aviation mechanics, restoration specialists, and pilots as they participate in a variety of special merit badge stations.

Scouts at Central Florida’s premier aviation attraction, Fantasy of Flight. Aviation Camporee will run through Sunday March 18th.

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Members of Civil Air Patrol from throughout the state attended Squadron 508’s open house ceremony. Most couldn’t wait to test their skills on the new flight simulators!

Yuma CAP Finds New Home in Former FedEx Facility The Yuma County Airport Authority in Yuma Arizona, hosted a ribbon cutting and open house last week by turning over the keys of the newly refurbished Flight Safety Meeting and Training Center to Yuma’s Civil Air Patrol (CAP) Composite Squadron 508. Members of the CAP from throughout Arizona came to check out the new facility and try their hand at the new flight simulators.

Brian Hotchkiss, local CAP Commander, said this is a fantastic facility. “We’ve been working with the Airport on the renovation, but the final product is much more than we ever imagined.”

A flight training room is equipped for use by local instructor pilots and includes three flight briefing stations and two flight training simulators. The training room will also be available for local flight instructors and their students who obtain approval from the Civil Air Patrol. The upstairs has been fitted out as a conference room and meeting room for aviation related events.

The facility also includes hangar space for the Civil Air Patrol’s aircraft, keeping it safe from the desert elements.

Hotchkiss said the facility greatly expands their opportunities and having a new CAP Headquarters on the airport means they can focus all of their energy on their mission and concentrate on their Cadet program for young people from age 12 to 21. Craig Williams, Airport Director said Page 14 AVED Journal

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the airport’s objective is to promote flight safety. The Civil Air Patrol’s mission is to provide Cadet Programs and Aerospace Education. “There could not be a better fit,” said Williams.

The Civil Air Patrol began on December 1, 1941 when civilian aviators insisted upon using their planes and flying skills to help defend their country. Seventy years later, the Civil Air Patrol continues to thrive as an important organization to our aviation community, especially the desert southwest region. An important aspect is the CAP Cadet Program that trains future pilots and nurtures aviation related careers.

For years, Yuma’s Civil Air Patrol Composite Squadron 508 held their meetings and cadet training in various locations around the community due to a lack of available space at the airport.

“This is a major step forward in the history of this squadron. We thank all of the personnel of Yuma airport for making it possible,” said 1st Lt. William “Scotty” Haskell, Squadron Public Affairs Officer.

The recommendation to provide the office and hangar space to Yuma’s Civil Air Patrol was made by several airport board members who are general aviation pilots themselves. Ed Whitehead, a local pilot and flight instructor and Albert Gardner, a member of the Experimental Aviation Association, thought that the vacancy within

the former Fed Ex facility was a perfect opportunity to provide the Civil Air Patrol with a first class facility to conduct training, hold safety meetings and house their aircraft.

“When existing airport tenants expand to larger facilities on the airport, such as the case with Federal Express and Customs and Border Protection, it affords us the opportunity to re-purpose facilities for the benefit of our aviation community,” Gen Grosse, airport spokesperson said.

“We’ve been working to find a home for Civil Air Patrol here at the airport for some time, but we just didn’t have the appropriate space available to suit their needs. The completion of this project secures the future of the Civil Air Patrol and general aviation in Yuma for the next seventy years.”

(Above) Vice Commander, Lt. Col. Layne Slapper accepts the key to Yuma Squadron 508’s new home from YCAA Board President, Rob Ingold.

(Left) Civil Air Patrol Squadron 508 formally accepts their new training center at Yuma Int’l Airport by pushing their aircraft into the hangar bay.

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Silent Flight 2012 International Aviation Art Contest Theme Representing states from Hawaii to Massachusetts, student artists from all across the country are receiving recognition for participating in this year’s 2012 U.S. Aviation Art Contest. The theme for this year’s contest was “Silent Flight,” drawing more than 5,000 students from 28 states to compete in state-level contests.

Winning entries on the state level, which includes first, second and third place winners in three age categories, were sent to Washington D.C. earlier in the year for national judging.

The National Aeronautic Association, (NAA) which sanctions the event in the U.S. and the National Association of State Aviation Officials, (NASAO) manager of the contest in the U.S., announced national winners last month.

Jonathan Gaffney, President and CEO of NAA, said in a release that they are extremely grateful to their partners at NASAO, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, and many other people and organizations who collaborated on this most worthy education endeavor.

In Massachusetts, Steve Rawding, an aviation planner for the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, reached out to schools throughout the Commonwealth regarding this year’s contest. They has a total of 58 students under the three age categories send in art work for this year’s state competition.

On March 29th, they will recognize Lewis Hwang, and his art class for their participation in this year’s competition with a tour and medal ceremony at Hanscom Airfield in Bedford, Massachusetts. Hwang was the first place winner First place art by Karen Ahn of in the national competition California. in Category I (Junior): 6 to 9 year-olds. “We are excited and proud to have Lewis Hwang represent Massachusetts and the United States in the International Art Competition,” said Chris Willenborg, administrator for MassDOT Aeronautics.

The national winners’ original artwork will be forwarded to Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI) to compete with winners from other countries in the 2012 International Aviation Art Contest in Lausanne, Switzerland in April.

Another national winner was nine-year-old Scout Wheeler, from North Dakota. Larry Taborsky, director of the North

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North Dakota entry by Scout Wheeler Dakota Aeronautics Commission said that Wheeler has made them proud. A second place finish in the national competition is North Dakota’s best yet, and according to Taborsky, will be encouraging for next year’s participants. “We’re continuing the North Dakota Aeronautics tradition of giving the winners an airplane ride,” said Taborsky, “and they are stoked!” North Dakota’s First Lady will present the awards to the winners at the state Heritage Center, they’ll have a tour of the Capitol, and lunch at the Capitol cafeteria. The program has generated a lot of positive publicity for the state of North Dakota and according to Taborsky, for aviation overall.

“The art contest has made a believer out of me.”

The International Aviation Art Contest is designed to motivate and encourage young people of FAI member nations to become familiar with and participate in aeronautics, engineering, and science.

For more information on the art contest and to see a complete list of national winners, you can visit the NASAO website at www. 1st place entry in Category III, 14 to nasao.org.

17 year-olds by Alexander Kang of California

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