Services searching for teens with their eyes on the sky

  • Published
  • By Steve VanWert
  • Air Force Services Agency Public Affairs
SAN ANTONIO (AFPN) --  Teenagers who share a fascination with flight, both airplanes and spacecraft, can apply for the 2005 Teen Aviation Camp and the 2005 Space Camp, but they need to get their application packages in soon, Air Force Services Agency officials said.

“Applications for acceptance into the Teen Aviation Camp must be received by March 11,” said Services' Bridget Kieschnick.

“There’s a little more time to apply for the space camp,” said Karen Rudolph, also from Services. “Applications need to be in by April 15 to be considered.”

Both camps are well worth the time it takes to apply, officials said.

The Teen Aviation Camp will be held June 4 to 9 at the Air Force Academy. Attendance, for teens from Air Force families, is open to high school students who will complete their freshman or sophomore year in 2005. But applying is only the start of the competition.

“We ask for verification that (students are) in good standing in their high school,” Ms. Kieschnick said. “We look at their role in student leadership. We look at their participation in extracurricular activities and activities outside the school setting, such as youth club, Boys and Girls Club or community service. We also consider any honors the applicant has received, such as National Honor Society, Congressional Award, Eagle Scout and others.”

Last year, 18 girls and 18 boys attended the aviation camp. The group was selected from a pool of 168 applicants. It featured a mix of activities intended to provide learning and social experiences.

“The (aviation) camp gives an insight into what life at the Air Force Academy is like,” Ms. Kieschnick said.

During the five-day camp, attendees stayed in dormitories and ate in the dining hall. They were on the go from morning to night. The group participated in mountaineering and orienteering courses, fitness testing and tours of the academy. Aviation-related activities included lectures on the principles of flight, building gliders, training in flight simulators and orientation flights in academy aero-club planes. The camp ended with a banquet and graduation ceremony.

Thirty-two young people received scholarships to the 2004 U.S. Space Academy, conducted at the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Ala. They were from Air Force bases worldwide and were selected from155 applicants.

The 5-day space academy is for youth ages 12-14. Criteria for selection includes a minimum grade point average, extracurricular activities both in and out of school, community service projects and special recognition awards.

Campers go through astronaut training on the multiaxis trainer, ride in the gravity chair, and use a jet backpack simulator. They also go through all the required training to live aboard a space shuttle, sample space food and learn how to sleep in space. There is even time built into their busy schedule for water activities and rocket construction.

All space academy trainees put their skills and teamwork to the test in 2-hour space shuttle missions. The group is divided into three crews: mission control, space shuttle and space station.

Applications for both camps are available at base youth centers.