AIM, Norfolk city offer STEM program with aviation-related programs

Aviation Institute of Maintenance (AIM) and the City ofNorfolk, Virginia, have teamed to offer a STEM education program throughoutNorfolk’s nine-week Parks and Recreation summer camp. The program’s mission isto reach the 1,400 students who will be participating in summer youth programs,and to provide them with age-appropriate education and career exploration inaerospace.

Dr. Joel English, vice president of AIM, noted that, “Foryears, we have been providing programming and support to the city’s outreach tocitizens, but never before have we been able to offer STEM programming to somany Norfolk youth within such a wide variety of aviation-related programs.”Fly Norfolk will offer targeted educational programming in aviation andaerospace to five different age groups.

“I am thrilled to see the pilot program we launched twoyears ago expand to provide STEM education opportunities to Norfolk scholars ofall ages. It is never too early to think about a child’s future. These programswill give our youth an opportunity to see all that a career in aviation canoffer and better yet, provide our participants a chance to receive their dronecertification and get a job before leaving high school,” said Councilwoman MamieB. Johnson.

The Young Flyers program (ages 7-9) will focus on arts andcrafts, model airplane assembly and flying, and aircraft identification.Curriculum for this program was developed within a partnership with NASA andAIM faculty. The Flying Ace program (ages 10-12) is a one-day careerexploration program featuring working aerospace professionals. Students willhave the opportunity to hear about five distinct aviation career pathwaysdirectly from practitioners in the field, including an airline pilot, flightattendant, aircraft mechanic, avionics technician, and an astronaut.Additionally, students will touch and feel aircraft components to understandthe functionality of an airplane. To enrich the curriculum and experience,NASA, PSA Airlines, FedEx, JetBlue, and American Airlines have contributedcontent, personnel and support for the program.

For older students, AIM will offer hands-on training thatleads to industry-recognized Federal Aviation Administration certification (FAA)certification. The Norfolk Navigators program (ages 13-15) is a two-week,hands-on course in aviation engineering and maintenance. In addition to basicconcepts about flight, aerodynamics and maintenance, students will engage inprojects, including fabricating flexible fluid cables, constructing hydraulictubing, riveting sheet metal and flying drones.

Fly Norfolk’s hallmark program, the Certified Drone Pilotprogram is for ages 16 and older, and it leads to a FAA certification inprofessional Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) operation. This five-day course isscheduled for August 19-23, and it will prepare students for the FAAcertification, provide computer simulation practice and provide hands-onpractice at drone flight at the air field at the Military Aviation Museum.

The Certified Drone Pilot program is highly selective, andAIM is taking applications through July 22 for students who want to beconsidered for the course. “Some of the young adults who complete the CertifiedDrone Pilot may seek careers in the developing fields of drone operation andmaintenance,” Dr. English said, “others might pursue careers in aerospace, andall of them will be guided to list their FAA-certification proudly on theirresumes to enhance their candidacy for college and careers.”

Only 15 high school students will be chosen for this freecertification course, and candidates will be selected through an assessment ofthe students’ professional and academic goals.

The Fly Norfolk program culminates in a Summer EnrichmentCarnival at Norfolk Scope on August 19-20, 2019. The event will featurehistoric airplanes from the Military Aviation Museum and provide a celebratoryenvironment for STEM education aerospace careers for the city’s youth. AIM isproviding this program at no charge to the city or its residents.