Pilot reports

Penn Valley Airport Open House

The Penn Valley Airport held a free Open House for the public on Saturday, June 04.  The ramp area was lined with static displays which included various GA airplanes, LifeFlight helicopter and ambulance, and PA State Police helicopter.  Hummel’s Warf and Shamokin Dam Fire Companies both set up fire engines and tankers for families to check out and kids to climb into and get a photo.  Flight tours were being offered all day long and tickets to our Redbird simulator was sold out with rides continuing into the evening.  Thank you to all of our volunteers and instructors for helping to provide our children with the opportunity to experience flight.

HEADLINES:

• • “Penn Valley Airport invites public to tour aircraft” – Daily Item
  • Sam Tyler of 94KX with Russell Stankiewicz

Aviation Merit Badge

May 14 – Susquehanna STEM to the Skies recently hosted an Aviation Merit Badge workshop for the Boy Scouts of America (BSA).  Troops from Lewisburg, Mifflinburg, and Selinsgrove met with SSS and community volunteers at the Penn Valley Airport.  Scouts met specific badge requirements through an eight station rotation that revolved around STEM curriculum with an aviation focus.

SSS Secretary Kirk Hanson coordinated the event and served as one of the certified merit badge counselors for the BSA scouts.  Other certified merit badge counselors included SSS President Dr. Victor Vogel and SSS Vice President Dr. Russell Stankiewicz.

Pilot volunteer Jason Kline gave scouts a tour of the airport which included walking onto the active ramp. They even got to watch the LifeFlight helicopter crew liftoff responding to an afternoon call. Dr. Stankiewicz invited scouts into his hangar to teach them how to inspect an aircraft prior to each flight using his Cirrus SR22 airplane.

Inside the terminal, helicopter pilot Chris Berry of LifeFlight gave an introduction to aviation ground school course which included lessons on aerodynamics and the principals of flight. Scouts learned about aeronautical charts and planned their own flight from Selinsgrove Airport to Williamsport Airport with SSS Assistant Secretary Chantelle Puletasi. They then flew their flight plan in our full-motion Redbird FMX flight simulator with Dr. Vogel.

In addition, Captain Brad Maxwell explained the various career opportunities available in the aviation industry. He answered questions scouts had and explained the requirements it takes to become a professional airline pilot. Scouts tried their hands at engineering by crafting their own FPG-9 Gliders and entered them into a competition where the grand prize was a certificate for a 30-minute flight in the flight simulator after the event. Thank you to Bob and Tim Logan for leading the FPG-9 competition and helping to distribute the pizza for lunch!

SSS hopes to expand the merit badge opportunity to the Girl Scouts of America. Currently, the female commercial pilot population in America sits at approximately 9%. Branching these opportunities out to programs such as the GSA can help to break glass ceilings and stereotypes.

“Getting our kids to the airport and involved in these hands-on learning workshops instills the notion that possibilities for their future are limitless,” Puletasi said. “They can do anything, they can even fly!”