Aviation Enrichment Day: A Great Success

By Ginger Cairnes

Within the article are a variety of photos from the 2005 Aviation Enrichment Mini-Symposium, which was a great success.

The work that is done at the Tech Center peaks the curiosity of many people, including the family members of employees. To help satisfy this curiosity, Aviation Enrichment Mini-Symposium Day was organized. More than six months of planning went into creating a day that was jam-packed with tours, workshops, activities and displays that were designed to showcase the many programs, projects and facilities that are here at the Center.

This year the number of displays included even more Air Traffic, Aircraft/Airport Safety Programs than in previous years. A number of “hands-on” experiences were offered to enhance what was being demonstrated.

Some of the new displays were: Biometrics, 3-D Modeling & Visualization, Weather programs, Transportation, an Environmental Program Display and various equipment that is being used to cut costs and help protect the environment. There also were Fun Photo displays and an electric-controlled helicopter aerobatic display (during lunch). Tours that were added this year included: Target Generator Facility (TGF), Air Traffic Control Labs such as the Enhanced Traffic Management System (ETMS), STARS and the Airborne Internet (AI) Laboratory in the hangar.

Budding aircraft designers created and tested Para-Wing Kites, Fuji Rockets, windsocks and paper aircraft. Another workshop enabled children to create solar system posters while learning about the planets with respect to their distance from the sun. At the Flight Plan Workshop, older children were introduced to the phonetic alphabet and flight charts. They also competed to see which team could “get to the airport” in the shortest amount of time.

Lunchtime was a real treat this year with music provided by Blast Effects. Homemade ice cream was served from a “chemical wagon” equipped with a steaming frosty silver bowl. During the late afternoon the children learned about the parts of an airplane, played space games, competed in Aviation Bingo and in an Aerospace Trivia game, while others attended more tours.

Though tired after a busy day, everyone was in agreement that learning can be fun!