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Students to get hands-on view of aviation

Navigating small airplanes, launching a near-earth satellite balloon and exploring Blackhawk helicopters are all part of the Aviation Career Exploration (ACE) Academy, June 25-28.

The academy is hosted by ITD’s Division of Aeronautics.

Thirty teens will have the opportunity to participate in the academy, which is open to high school students ages 14-18. Students must submit an application by May 30.

“The students without fail characterize their time here as well spent and absolutely one event that they will not soon forget,” says Frank Lester, Division of Aeronautics. “They arrive hesitant and a bit unsure but leave excited about opening new doors, making new contacts and meeting new friends.”

Once again, a highlight of the academy will be the launch, tracking and recovery of a near-earth satellite balloon. Students work in small teams to assemble capsules to attach to the balloon. The capsules gather data while in ascent and take photos throughout the flight. Student teams compete for the best designed-capsule and the most accurate prediction of a landing location.

Teens participating in the academy will experience a variety of activities that provide social experiences and learning opportunities. During the four-day academy, students will hear from experts in various aviation-related fields, as well as representatives of regional and national aeronautical schools. Tours of the Boise Airport, local aviation businesses and flight operations, and the Idaho Army and Air National Guard are also scheduled.

“We want to whet their appetite and motivate them to look beyond the ordinary,” Lester says. “It is their opportunity to see some of the many exciting careers that aviation has to offer, whether on the ground, in the air or out in space.”

The academy is capped off with flights to nearby airports, such as Idaho City or Garden Valley. Each student has the opportunity to experience a flight under the guidance of a veteran pilot. Upon return to the Treasure Valley, students will tour the Warhawk Air Museum in Nampa.

A $100 registration fee is due upon a student’s acceptance to the academy. Scholarship assistance is available.

Sponsors of the event include: ITD’s Division of Aeronautics, Federal Aviation Administration, Idaho Ninety-Nines, Warhawk Air Museum, Lynn Clark Memorial, Idaho Business Aviation Association, Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 103, Idaho Aviation Hall of Fame and Idaho Aviation Association.

For more information about the academy, call the Division of Aeronautics at (208) 334-8775, or visit its Web site at www.itd.idaho.gov/ . Click on Aeronautics and then ACE Academy.