Experimental Aircraft Association’s summer STEM program begins July 13. Courtesy/EAA
EAA News:
The Los Alamos Chapter of the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), Chapter 691 is starting a new summer STEM program for young people between the ages of 8 and 17 at Los Alamos County Airport.
The program is called “Young Eagles Build and Fly” and is an intensive hands on RC model building and flying activity designed to introduce kids to aircraft construction and the fundamentals of flight. This program can either be a follow-up to or lead to an EAA Young Eagles flight for youth participants. This is the chapters first attempt to conduct this challenging a project.
The build process and subsequent flight training with the finished model are both equally important parts in the success of the program. We expect youth participants to learn as much during the build process as they do during the flying portion. The build process will include extensive use of some tools and various glues under the guidance of experienced mentors.
The flight training portion will be conducted by pilots with experience flying RC aircraft. The model should be completed through multiple build sessions, intermixing aircraft construction and discussion of flight theory. Of course the intent is to have fun while we all learn something.
The planned schedule is for a Introductory session to kick off activities, followed by six weekly, four hour build sessions on Saturdays. This schedule is our best estimate of how long it should take to complete the model and begin initial flight training. Additionally, attendance will be free.
Should you be interested in participating in this program, contact either Walt Atchison (wla116920@gmail.com) or Will Fox (tailspinfox@gmail.com) with the name, age, and contact information. We plan to limit the participation to 8 to 10 young people, therefore, we would also like you to provide a small statement written by the participating Young Eagle explaining why they would like to be part of the team. It should be at least one small paragraph either included in the email or attached as a file.