Civil Air Patrol, South Carolina Wing Serves Girls in Aviation

Charleston, S.C.—Members of the South Carolina Wing of Civil Air Patrol, based in Columbia, South Carolina, hosted six STEM-based learning stations—exposing over 175 young girls and nearly 100 other parents, siblings, chaperones, and teachers to aviation & related topics—at the annual Girls in Aviation Day hosted by Women in Aviation’s Palmetto Pride Chapter.

Fourteen members of four different Civil Air Patrol squadrons came together in Charleston, South Carolina, at the Charleston International Airport to welcome Girl Scouts, 4-Hers, and girls from across the state to this event focused on introducing them to aviation careers and STEM concepts.

At one STEM area, Civil Air Patrol members explained the role that weather plays in aviation. The lesson plans, developed by Maj Tina Peterson, CAP, explained statistics about the number of aviation accidents related to weather. Girls in Aviation Day participants learned how to use a sling psychrometer, spin an anemometer, and read a thermometer. This station, along with other Civil Air Patrol booths at the event featured STEM kit information, and many people photographed the display, hoping to receive more information about the STEM kit program offered by CAP.

Two South Carolina Wing members brought their own planes to exhibit. Lt Col Cindy Aulbach, Civil Air Patrol, brought a Grumman AA1, and took time to discuss her 26 years in aviation with girls who stopped by her area. Nearby, Charleston Composite Squadron Commander Capt Jim Greco and his wife, Capt Marianne Greco, displayed their Grumman AA5 with its red, white, and blue paint job. Both members explained parts of the aircraft and allowed Girls in Aviation Day participants to get inside the aircraft.

Inside the hanger, and within a domed tent, Lexington Composite Squadron Commander Capt Sandra Lacoscio, a pilot herself, worked with Charleston Squadron Senior Member John Stoll to host a Drone Rodeo. Small remote-controlled drones were used by the children in attendance—with the goal of moving them safely through the obstacle course. Although many children (and a few adults) assumed that flying the drones through the hula-hoops, around the traffic cone, and over the jump rope would be simple—many learned that the seemingly-easy task of flying a drone is not so easy after all.

The other two booths featured Civil Air Patrol’s Aviation-based STEM kits. At one station, attendees could fly three different flight simulators. This station, hosted by C/Capt Payton Mercer, had long lines throughout the day as students (and adults) awaited their turn to fly. At one point, a current F-16 pilot from the Charleston Air Force Base sat down in the chair at the simulator to try his hand at flying a plane! Two tables away, using Balsa wood planes and a Civil Air Patrol lesson on the 4 four forces of flight, C/MSgt Nathan Mercer assisted children in drawing airplanes and labelling the two positive and two negative forces, while explaining the roles that weight, lift, thrust, and drag have in keeping a plane aloft.

At the end of the day, the participants and chaperones gathered together in the hanger to hear from the event’s sponsors—including Civil Air Patrol. Maj Tina Peterson, Cadet Programs Director for the South Carolina Wing, and C/Capt Payton Mercer, Cadet Commander at the ACE Basin Composite Squadron, invited participants to learn more about Civil Air Patrol and experience the five free orientation flights each cadet receives with membership.

"The South Carolina Wing of Civil Air Patrol is thankful to get to partner with the Palmetto Pride Chapter of Women in Aviation at today's Girls in Aviation event," said Maj Tina Peterson, Cadet Programs Director for South Carolina Wing, Civil Air Patrol. "Together, both of these organizations is committed to introducing girls to aviation, STEM careers, and more."

Civil Air Patrol, the longtime all-volunteer U.S. Air Force auxiliary, is the newest member of the Air Force’s Total Force. In this role, CAP operates a fleet of 560 aircraft, performs about 90 percent of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center and is credited by the AFRCC with saving an average of 80 lives annually. CAP’s 60,000 members also perform homeland security, disaster relief and drug interdiction missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies. In addition, CAP plays a leading role in aerospace/STEM education, and its members serve as mentors to over 25,000 young people participating in CAP’s Cadet Programs. Visit www.GoCivilAirPatrol.com or www.CAP.news for more information.

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