TPP Sends 2 Students to National Flight Academy
Two of the 2015 graduates of the Pax River Flight Academy received scholarships from The Patuxent Partnership to attend a week long training program at the National Flight Academy (NFA) in Pensacola, FL.
The 2015 class of the Pax River Flight Academy marks its second year of the academy’s operation. The Academy, headquartered at the James A. Forrest Career and Technology Center, Leonardtown, MD, graduated 20 students this year.
The two 2015 all inclusive NFA scholarships are provided by The Patuxent Partnership and this year went to Patrick Russell and Jeffrey Knipe. The TPP scholarships are based on outstanding performance during the school year at the Pax River Flight Academy.
“Every mission we did was a success,” said Mr. Knipe about the week’s training at the NFA. “Although the week went by extremely fast and some tasks were much harder than others, it was definitely worth it in the end. I learned so much while I was there. The Naval Aviation Museum and the IMAX film about the Magic of Flight were very cool as well.”
In addition to attending the NFA program and the Naval Aviation Museum the students were able to meet the crew of the Blue Angels. At the end of the NFA program the students graduated and received their wings.
The Pax River Flight Academy was made possible by a grant from NAWCAD to The Patuxent Partnership. The grant allowed for an Aviation Classroom Experience (ACE) to be developed and implemented within the St. Mary’s County Public School system. The ACE at the James A. Forrest Career and Technology Center is modeled on students’ experiences at the National Flight Academy.
The NFA is a 102,000 square-foot four-story structure designed to be a fully immersive experience. The adventure begins when students enter the building – a virtual aircraft carrier called Ambition. Each deck of Ambition is designed scenically and theatrically to simulate a modern aircraft carrier. The first deck houses the galley, mess hall, administrative spaces and the aircraft hangar bays. The second deck is dedicated to academic spaces including the operations and intelligence centers. The third and fourth decks house crew quarters, lounges, and activity rooms. It is easy for students to forget they are inside a building and not on a real aircraft carrier.
The National Flight Academy is now offering reduced price of $500 to 7th-12th grade students for its AMBITION program. Two of the six-day, five-night sessions are available at this discount price. They will be offered Aug. 2 to 7 and Aug. 9 to 14, 2015.
Attendees live aboard the virtual aircraft carrier, AMBITION, experiencing an revolutionizing, aviation-immersive, STEM-based adventure never to be forgotten.
The program weaves STEM learning objectives with critical thinking, problem solving, and communication skills, all in a team-based, working environment.
Regular cost is $1,250 for this program. Register at www.NationalFlightAcademy.com and use the code SUMMEREND.
Organizations interested in sponsoring a Summer Deployment, please call the National Flight Academy at (877) 552-3632 or (850) 458-STEM (7836).
The Patuxent Partnership works with government, industry and academia on initiatives in science and technology, hosts programs of interest to NAVAIR and the broader DoD community, and supports workforce development including education initiatives and professional development. Visit www.paxpartnership.org
