Flight Week introduces youth to aviation, space

  • Published
  • By Mark Wyatt
  • 66th Air Base Group Public Affairs
HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. – Twenty middle school-aged children from the Hanscom community attended Aviation and Space Week at the STARBASE Academy here July 24 through 28.

STARBASE is a Science, Technology, Engineering and Math Enrichment Academy founded by the Department of Defense. The Hanscom-based academy opened in November 2012.

“Each year, the STARBASE team works to create a challenging and engaging summer camp for Hanscom Air Force Base youth,” said Peter Holden, STARBASE Academy director. “During the week, 20 students from the base studied the nature of flight, flew aircraft simulations, created aircraft through computer aided design, launched rockets, flew drones and researched the International Space Station.”

Students who attended the weeklong camp will be entering the sixth through eighth grade this school year.

Diane Zamot, a STARBASE instructor and a former Air Force KC-135 pilot, spoke about how she hopes the camp was inspiring.

“The hope is to inspire some of these young people to pursue a career in STEM-related fields, particularly aviation,” she said.

As part of the camp, organizers planned field trips to the Hanscom Field Air Traffic Control Tower and to the MedFlight Operations Center that highlighted the wide range of career options available in the aviation industry.

“There are many children on the base who find aviation exciting and intriguing, but they may not know much about the science, engineering and career paths involved,” Holden said. “The STARBASE ‘Flight Week’ program challenged students to delve into aspects of aviation that they might not have considered.”

Jenny Alexander, a sixth grader whose call sign was “Frinty,” spoke about the experience.

“We learned parts of the airplane; we went on a bunch of field trips; and we went on flight a simulator, which was a lot of fun,” she said. “I had a good time.”

In addition to field trips and demonstrations, students heard from former pilots and civil air patrol personnel.

“Former A-10 pilot Maj. Joel Bernazzani recounted his career story for the students and fielded their many questions,” Holden said. “In addition, mentors from the Civil Air Patrol facilitated classroom activities and helped guide students to success [with their projects].”
The director also spoke about how he hopes the weeklong camp left an impression on attendees.

“The STARBASE Team works to create thought-provoking programs that leave a lasting impression,” Holden said. “This year, we built on the strengths of the instructional team and produced an aviation week that students will long remember.”

During the school year, STARBASE provides challenging, hands-on programs for fifth grade students throughout the Boston area.

For further information about the STARBASE program, call 781-862-4015 or 781-862-4016 or visit www.DoDSTARBASE.org.