At the request of the City of Lincoln, EAA Chapter 1541 created and conducted a week long Aviation Camp at Lincoln Regional Airport for kids ages 7 through 12. The day camp was one of 30 different specialty summer camps offered through the “Lincoln Kids Kamp” program, and attracted 7 participants to the airport for daily afternoon activities during the week of June 24-28th. EAA Chapter 1541 members Dan and Linda Masys, Dug Smith, Bruce Estes, and EAA Air Academy scholarship winner Amy Whelan put together a fine team effort for camp activities that included an airport walk-around, learning how fixed wing and rotary wing aircraft work, and how lighter than air craft fly. Cheryl Andrade contributed Young Eagles materials and aviation toys for ‘goodie bags’ given to the campers. Each of the daily educational sessions included a ‘chalk talk’ on principles of flight, complemented by hands-on activities such as building paper and foam gliders, and attempting to make a neutral buoyancy helium balloon. The campers’ craftsmanship was tested with daily competitions to see whose aircraft flew best. They also got the chance to test their flying skills in a hover and spot landing contest using a drone quadcopter.

The week was capped off on Friday by each camper going on three Young Eagle flights in different types of aircraft, and having the opportunity to act as a hands on co-pilot for one of the flights. Pilot Bruce, Pilot Dug, and Pilot Dan were well known to each of the campers from the activities earlier in the week, and the conversations heard on the aircraft intercom made it clear that the campers had not only learned a lot, they had also become good friends during their daily interactions. All agreed that the only thing better than flying a Young Eagle flight was flying more than one in different types of aircraft.

Congratulations to all who helped make the inaugural week-long aviation camp a soaring success!