From Jim Hannam - AFA Vice Chairman for Aerospace Education June begins the summer season that typically signals a slowdown in activity for our Education Programs. But, across AFA, Aerospace Education activities have been hopping. Please read in the following articles about the winning CyberPatriot and StellarXplorers teams as these young Americans compete in AFA’s STEM focused National Youth Cyber Education Competition and AFA’s National Space Design Challenge. Read about Civil Air Patrol’s free memberships and other Aerospace Education programs, Arnold Air Society/Silver Wings National Convention (NATCON), AFJROTC’s Flight Academy and the ten female aviators who won their pilots wings, the nearly 300 CyberCamps being conducted this summer, Educator Grants, an article about the Southeast Region presenting a Teacher of the Year Award. During this next month Chapter Leaders will be continuing to present AFJROTC and CAP awards and take part in CCAF Graduations at AF installations and present Pitsenbarger Grants. Congratulations to all the field leaders who have presented Chapter and State Teacher of the Year Awards at the educator’s school in front of her/his peers and students—making the award even more special. Making a big deal of all these awards is important to the person receiving the award as well as for AFA. Field leaders at the Chapter, State, and Region level should try to attend at least one of the CyberCamps, and there are 290 of them across the Nation, to show the AFA Flag and perhaps recruit members. Dates and places are found on the attached website: https://www.uscyberpatriot.org/afa-cybercamps/2019-afa-cybercamps/dates- locations Finally, for your information and forward planning, DoD will conduct a program to recognize the 75th Anniversary of WWII with commemoration events to thank and honor veterans of WWII and to educate the public about the history of WWII and Federal agencies that supported our Armed Forces. Many of these events are coincident with the anniversaries of various ground and naval battles. These events will occur over the next 2 years. This is a great opportunity to team with other veterans organizations near AFA Chapters and to work together to honor our “Greatest Generation.” ~ Jim Hannam, Vice Chairman, Aerospace Education Page 1 AEC Newsletter – 2nd Quarter 2019 Civil Air Patrol For any program info, contact: [email protected] AFA Chapter TOY Complimentary CAP AE Memberships: CAP has sent out e-mails to all AFA Chapter TOYs to advise them of their complimentary CAP Aerospace Education Membership for AFA Chapter TOYs. This free membership brings a plethora of free STEM products and programs, to include a free Teacher Orientation Program (TOP) flight! These free TOP flights, as well as the free K-12 STEM Kits and K-6 Aerospace Connections in Education (ACE) program, are exciting to educators who are looking for supplemental resources and opportunities to ignite their STEM programs. (TOP Flight Video) For information about the free CAP AE membership program for AFA Chapter TOYs, as well as educators the local chapter wishes to support, click HERE. Contact [email protected] for free Coupon Code for use in this program. AFA’s Sponsorship of CAP’s K-6 ACE Program: CAP has named its 2019 National ACE Award Winners. AFA is the sponsor for the award grants that accompany these awards, and CAP is working with AFA chapters closest to these ACE award winners to ensure an AFA rep is invited to the award presentation event at the schools. AFA chapters who wish to connect with an ACE school for support for the upcoming school year, check out the state-by-state ACE School list HERE. ACE completion certificates (with the AFA sponsor logo) are being distributed to the over 51,000 students in this year’s ACE program as the teachers complete the program. CAP is working to connect ACE teachers with local AFA chapters for certificate presentations. The 10-year ACE program anniversary story, which includes AFA mention and photo, is found HERE. AL’s Montgomery AFA Chapter 102 sponsors a large STEM elementary school’s ACE program each year, providing ACE shirts to the students, and exciting outreach opportunities. ~ In mid May, the chapter hosted 200 local ACE students for an Aerospace Day at Maxwell AFB (Video) ~ the annual essay contest about AL’s Aerospace Heritage and Future allowed the essay contest winners and their teachers to fly in CAP airplanes to continue to ignite an interest in aviation careers (Video) ***CAP’s AE Facebook page continues to tag AFA Aerospace Education FB page when appropriate to help generate more posts for the new AFA AE FB page. CAP’s Youth Aviation Initiative: CAP’s program funding was received from the USAF in FY19 to begin with 45 cadets enrolled in the program in early spring. 5 cadets have earned their Private Pilot Certificate through the Cadet Wings program thus far; the other 40 well on their way to the same. CAP is working with AFJROTC’s Flight Academy scholarship program to send some CAP cadets to a university with JROTC cadets this summer. CAP also provides flight time for AFJROTC cadets who are working on and have completed their PPC program. Check out the video made by the first CAP cadet to earn her wings through this program HERE. Page 2 AEC Newsletter – 2nd Quarter 2019 ARNOLD AIR SOCIETY/SILVER WINGS TheWW 72nd WingsArnold Air Society/Silver Wings National Conclave (NATCON) “Cheesecon” held in Milwaukee was another huge success! AFA and the AEC were well represented with President “Orville” Wright, Vice Chairmen Jim Hannam and Mac MacAloon, Board of Trustees Member Dick Bundy, AEC Members Mary Anne Thompson and Dave Dietsch, and the AFA General Billy Mitchell Chapter President, Victor Johnson. Over 800 cadets and Silver Wingers welcomed General (Retired) Robin Rand as their new Chairman of the Board and bade farewell to outgoing Chairman, General Duncan McNabb, and Trustee Mary Anne Thompson who joined Angel Flight/Silver Wings 62 years ago! On Friday was the Pre-Trustee Dinner Reception followed by the Trustee dinner at the Hilton City Center. Saturday morning was the joint opening ceremony, and a Profession of Arms Center of Excellence Workshop, or PACE. PACE is an Air Force organization focused on promoting the Air Force Core Values throughout the Profession of Arms and the Air Force mission. Saturday at noon was the AFA Luncheon, additional award presentation, and speaker was Secretary Donovan, Under Secretary of the Air Force (named as acting secretary effective 1 June). Business sessions occurred throughout the conclave. On Monday afternoon was an International air attaché panel discussion with Brigadier General (Air) Georges Franchomme, from Belgium, and Group Captain Stephen Richards from the United Kingdom. The national conclave ended with a USAA Military Banquet. Guest speaker was General Rand. The Conclave elected April Patko as the Commander, Arnold Air Society. She is a 5th year student at Rutgers University, a Mechanical Engineering major, hoping to become a Developmental Engineer in the Air Force. Also elected was Nicholas Carrigan as President of Silver Wings. He is a senior at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) in Rochester, New York, studying Cyber Security. The Conclave also voted Las Vegas as the site of next year’s NATCON to be hosted by Northern Arizona State University. Under Secretary Victor Johnson with Detachment 930, Marquette University, AFROTC Cadets Donovan VCAE Hannam, Victor Johnson, Cadet Grace Russell, AFA President Wright General, Ret, Robin Rand AFROTC Cadets from Area 7, Arnold Air Society Nicholas April Patko Carrigan ~ Victor Johnson & Mary Anne Thompson Page 3 AEC Newsletter – 2nd Quarter 2019 AFJROTC FLIGHT ACADEMY Aviators from all over the country traveled to sunny Long Beach, California for the annual Women in Aviation International Conference March 14 – 16, ten of the female aviators attending were Air Force Junior ROTC cadets who recently earned their pilots wings. The cadets completed the Air Force JROTC Flight Academy program last summer, where they had the opportunity to earn their private pilot’s certificate. Among other conference events, the cadets were inspired by listening to well-known female pilots who have overcome adversity, including Jessica Cox, the first armless pilot, and Tammie Jo Shults, one of the first female Navy pilots and now a commercial airline pilot. The Air Force works with numerous external groups, such as WAI, to increase awareness and opportunities for underrepresented youth and Airmen. “The Chief of Staff of the Air Force Flight Academy Scholarship is designed to bring back the ‘luster’ of aviation amongst the nation’s youth as well as increase minority and female participation,” said Lt. Col. Willie J. Allen II, director, Air Force Junior ROTC Flight Academy. “The current minority and female presence in aviation is around ten percent and six percent respectively. The Flight Academy scholarship has surpassed these statistics based on the fact that 37 percent of our applicants and 25 percent of our selects were female or of a minority demographic. Collaboration with organizations such as Women in Aviation and our partnering universities enables real growth for the industry as well as providing mentors in both civil and military aviation career fields.” Junior ROTC Cadet Maria Hall, a senior at Tivy High School, Texas, aspires to be an Air Force fighter pilot, and the Flight Academy brought her one step closer to her dream. “The Flight Academy quite literally gave me my wings and afforded me the opportunity to grow and learn as much as possible in the field of aviation,” said Hall. She said it was incredible to see and meet women who paved the way for aspiring female pilots and looks forward to carrying on their legacy.