Students planned a three destination flight from Milwaukee’s Timmerman airport to Watertown then to Burlington and return to Milwaukee’s Timmerman airport.
Milwaukee, Wis. In August, STARBASE Wisconsin Staff taught aviation education at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s (UW-M) College for Kids program. Kids in college are encouraged to participate in exciting summertime, hands-on learning experiences in math, science, fine arts, and humanities. Twelve middle school age students participated in the Science of Aviation course. This course introduced students to the aerodynamics of flight, aviation terminology, flight planning and flight simulation and identifying weather conditions from cloud patterns.
Students planned a three destination flight from Milwaukee’s Timmerman airport to Watertown then to Burlington and return to Milwaukee’s Timmerman airport.
Guest speakers from several State of Wisconsin agencies discussed different careers in the aviation industry. Pilot Lauren Sherrick discussed her role in coordinating an emergency medical flight team, flying human organ transplant teams, and business operations at smaller airports. Vlaid Jovic from Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport Air/Ground Operations discussed careers available in Milwaukee and other large airport locations. Meredith Alt from the Department of Transportation’s Aeronautics Bureau discussed different scholarships to fund and earn a Private Pilot Certificate. Colonel (R) John Puttre, Director – STARBASE Wisconsin discussed aeronautical careers in the military.
“The Science of Aviation course was awesome! The students enjoyed many things that we did learned like how the tube, called a plane, stays in the air. I believe it was life changing for many of the students. I told all of them that the sky is the limited.” - Jackie Boyd, Aviation Instructor, UW-Milwaukee: College for Kids
Colonel (R) John Puttre instructed student pilots how to use the flight simulator and fly the planned routes they plotted.
Holly Reitz demonstrated Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) technology used in flight planning along with electronic mapping tools currently used in aviation.