KENT, Ohio — The Kent State University Airport is buzzing with activity. The perfect environment for Ohio high school students to learn about the field of aviation. From trying flight simulators, to pre-flight check, to the big event of the day, flying in a Cessna.
"I just learned how to fly a plane, so that was really cool," Victoria Buckingham said.
And the students got the chance to take the controls.
"I got to turn a little bit, and I got to feel how the plane really moves," Buckingham said. "I learned that the plane is really touchy. So, you really have to be careful and very vigilant."
"My pilot taught me a lot," said Courtny Crump. “The landing especially. She showed me how to stay calm and don't make any sudden moves, because it could cause you to do some things that you don't want to happen."
This is all part of the Nikki Kukwa Memorial Aeronautics Camp. Kukwa was a student and founding member of the Kent State Women in Aviation group who passed away from leukemia in 2006. This camp honors her spirit and passion.
"I had the opportunity to visit her, even when she was in the hospital. Unfortunately, the end of her days and even then, bright, smiling, helpful, encouraging," said Kent State’s Associate Dean of College of Aeronautics & Engineering, Maureen McFarland.
The campers spend three days on campus, exploring aviation careers. There is no charge, thanks to the memorial fund.
"It's about, you know, continuing on a legacy and serving as an example. And she really was," McFarland said.
Her love of flying is an inspiration to others.
"Just being up in the air. It's another world out there,” Crump said. “That's why I love it so much."
"When you're up in altitude, you look down, you kind of also realize how small you are, right?" McFarland said. "So, it puts things in perspective. So how small you are, but also what an impact your smallness can have."
Besides flying, campers are learning about drones, virtual reality training and working in the air traffic control lab. The young women are the future of a fast-moving industry.
"We're not trying to just create future pilots, but future individuals that will support the overall industry,” McFarland said. “And it's a global industry."
Dean McFarland says quite a few past campers have become Kent State students and then moved on to have careers with the airlines, reflecting that the camp experience was the spark that started their journey.