Grade 11 student Arabella Allen, co-lead Katelyn Rozdeba, Grade 12 student Eric Stock, Grade 10 student Jax Giesbrecht and co-lead Dana Marshall of the Eagle Butte Flight Academy in front of the flight simulator they use in the classroom. All are looking forward to the trip to Washington, D.C. in late June.--NEWS PHOTO SAMANTHA JOHNSON
reporter@medicinehatnews.com
The Flight Academy at Eagle Butte High School began in 2019 and does a field trip each year. This year they wanted to do something special to celebrate the first three-year group to graduate. The destination chosen is Washington D.C., which is a haven for aviation and knowledge. The group will be flying out June 29 and returning July 4.
The schedule is packed full of activities. On the day they land they will be visiting the National Air and Space Museum, International Spy Museum and Georgetown University. The second day will involve a bike tour to several other museums and war memorials. The group will be taking a trip to Norfolk, Va. to tour the battleship Wisconsin and are also going to the Air and Space Science Centre in Virginia, the birthplace of NASA. Also included is the Aviation Institute of Maintenance, as many student in the academy want to be aircraft maintenance engineers.
“It’s a museum trip,” explained co-lead of the program Dana Marshall, “and learning about the different programs of aviation available from the schools based in that area.”
Grade 12 student Eric Stock is in his third year in the program and joined because it’s in his blood. His grandpa, father and sister all have their pilot’s licence.
“This opportunity came, so I took it. I’m going to get my pilot’s licence, get my commercial licence and fly commercial. I want to fly the big jumbo jets.”
He will likely get his private pilot’s licence in March and then start working on his commercial licence.
Jax Giesbrecht is in Grade 10 and joined the academy as he too wants to become a professional pilot.
“I’ve loved planes since I was little. I moved here and there was this program and I really wanted to join it.”
Giesbrecht recently moved to the region from Swift Current and is looking forward to the upcoming trip.
“I’ve never been to the States so it’s pretty exciting to go there.”
Grade 11 student Arabella Allen joined because she wants to be an aerospace engineer and this brings her one step closer.
“In Grade 6 we did a flight unit and Super T took us up in planes. Then we did a passion project on what we wanted to be and I picked engineering and I figured I liked flight most.”
Fundraising plans are underway and ideas are still being floated. They have plans to hold a gala in March and have done a couple of bottle drives. A drive-in theatre is also being organized for March where they will show Top Gun 2 and have a concession with popcorn.
Katelyn Rozdeba, the other co-lead at the Flight Academy, explained all money raised during the fundraisers will be split between those students who participate to help offset their individual costs for the trip.
For those who want to be pilots, they can start learning at 14 years old but must wait until they are 17 to get their private pilot’s licence. Stock has been flying since Grade 11 and Allen is close to flying solo for the first time.
The Flight Academy runs an integrated program with Super T Aviation and the students can participate at about 50 per cent the normal cost.
Registration is starting next week for the 2023-24 Flight Academy school year for any Grade 9 students interested. Go to https://eaglebutte.myprps.com/dr-flight-academy for more information.
