District VII — Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin
One of the more satisfying gifts our hobby brings is sharing our experiences with others. To witness the pure joy on the faces of those taking their first flights is, as the ad says, “priceless.”
For clubs that fly on public lands, hosting events that spotlight our activities not only plants the seeds for future modelers, but is also a way to thank our hosts for allowing us the privilege of using the property.
Please read on about a recent Girl Scout Aviation Day put on by the Pontiac Miniature Aircraft Club (PMAC). I especially enjoyed the blending of full-scale and model aviation activities.
Event overview
PMAC recently hosted 62 Girl Scouts, their leaders, and parents for PMAC’s Girl Scout Aviation Day. On a three-year rotating cycle, PMAC invites Girl Scouts, then Boy Scouts, then the general community to come to its flying site. Attendees spent the day going through a series of aviation mini-seminars, followed by training in the club’s computer simulators, and then off to the flightline to experience buddy-box flying with one of the club’s many instructors.
The specific emphasis of the day was aviation careers for women. Female RC pilots, women air traffic controllers, and female commercial pilots led many of the activities.
Presenters and demonstrations
- Jeane Smith (PMAC member and experienced RC pilot) taught "Women in Aviation." She introduced attendees to notable women who helped shape aviation—beyond Amelia Earhart—such as Jackie Cochran and Olive Ann Beech, and discussed contemporary record holders.
- Kathleen Johnson, an air traffic controller at the Pontiac, Michigan tower, discussed careers for women in the FAA and how she entered air traffic control. Kathleen and PMAC instructor Scott Millard (a new private pilot) performed a humorous mock radio exchange for the crowd.
- Heidi Weger, an air rescue helicopter pilot, talked about advancing through aviation careers and shared humorous stories from her experiences in both fixed‑wing and rotary‑wing aircraft.
Activities
Other activities included discussions about aviation weather, navigation and electronic navigation aids, volunteer aviation organizations such as the Civil Air Patrol, aviation careers, and aviation science. After completing the mini‑seminars, the Girl Scouts flew one of PMAC’s computer RC simulators. To wrap up the event, they went to the flightline and flew a PMAC trainer. PMAC was pleased to have broad FAA participation as well.
Club programs and resources
PMAC has been one of the nation’s most successful AMA clubs in using AMA’s Introductory Pilot Program. Activities such as the Girl Scout and Boy Scout Aviation Days have contributed much to the club’s success with the Introductory Pilot Program. These Girl Scout and Boy Scout programs are modeled after an AMA Take Off and Grow (TAG) program.
If your club would like to host a Girl Scout Aviation Day, PMAC has considerable material tailored for Girl Scouts and their Aviation Fun Patch or the Girl Scouts of the USA Aviation Merit Badge. Email the club for more information at [email protected].
Take a kid flying!
Transcribed from original scans by AI. Minor OCR errors may remain.
