Kristen Waldron
Staff writer
received a grant to continue, after an eight hiatus, to host a free aviation camp for about 40 students in the eighth through 10th grades from all over the state of Oklahoma for the first two weeks of the four week camp, the remaining weeks will be open to any student wanting to participate.
This grant was sought after by the Chair of the Department of Aviation Flight George Jacox, who went to Scott Hensley to ask for help to further research on how to get the camp back. They wrote the grant and submitted it to the Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission. The Continuing Education office is helping coordinate registration for the camp.
“We have had aviation camps in the past and the aviation program wanted to start doing it again,” stated Hensley. Southeastern stop hosting the camp in 2004, till the grant was established again in 2011.
The students get to attend this camp for free thanks to the $20,000 grant that the commission granted for the Savage Storm Aviation Science Camp 2013. This covers the cost of flight, materials, meals, and lodging for the students
The students will get to spend a week at the campus. The students will begin with an overviewing aviation, then spend two days going over ground and preflight checks. The third day they build model rockets to shoot off later in the week. The last day before their parents come, the students get bused down to Love Field Airport for a tour of Southwest Airlines. Friday, the students get fly planes and the parents come to Durant and enjoy a cook out with the student set off the rockets they built earlier in week.
The camp is advised by the Southeastern aviation program, flight professors, and the aviation students, act as counselors for the camp.
The camp is advertised on aviation websites and invites are sent by email to both to individuals and businesses.
There’s not a criteria for registration for last two weeks. But the students attending must simply be an Oklahoma resident. The remaining criteria has not been decided by Jacox and fellow instructors of the camp.
Next summer’s camp dates have not yet been released, but is anticipated for next June.
November 15, 2012