Summer aviation camp starts Monday

  • Published
  • By Adam Bailey
  • Nucleus staff writer
KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. --  Kirtland will be holding a youth aviation camp this summer.

The camp is sponsored by the local Tuskegee Airmen Chapter and the New Mexico State Office of African American Affairs, and will be held June 17-21.

The camp started through the partnership of the Office of African American Affairs, Air Force Research Laboratory and the 58th Special Operations Wing. It was created to engage students in aviation and give youth more access to science, technology, engineering and math.

The aviation camp, which has been held each summer since 2010, will be split into two parts. One part of the day will be classroom instruction and the other part will be meeting people whose jobs relate to aviation. This will be the first year the camp will go full days.

"We wanted to show them there are more aspects to flying than just jumping in an airplane," said Lt. Col. Sekou Billings, aviation camp leader.

The classroom instruction will cover S.T.E.M., fundamentals of flight, Newton's Laws and Bernoulli's Principles.

"Our measure of effectiveness is to educate and motivate students in the field of aviation and science," Billings said.

The camp is also designed to inform students on the process of getting in to the Air Force Academy. They cover key things to be done to be considered for the academy.

Camp participants will be also educated on the history of the Tuskegee Airmen. The classes will be taught by retired military members.

The Tuskegee Airmen are a group of men who became part of an all African-American pursuit squadron in 1941. Before 1940, African-Americans weren't allowed to fly in the military, but after help from civil rights groups, it became possible with the creation of Moton Field in Tuskegee, Ala. Tuskegee Airmen include pilots and all those who worked to keep planes in the air.

"One of the things we're trying to do is educate the youth on the success of the Tuskegee Airmen. We want to honor our documented Tuskegee Airmen here in New Mexico," Billings said.

For more information, contact Billings at sekou.billings@us.af.mil.