Offers EAA AirVenture Oshkosh Activities For Youngsters, New RV To Travel Nation To Expand Aviation/Aerospace STEM Outreach

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and Kiddie Hawk Air Academy (KHAA) are joining forces to host aviation activities for children ages 4-9 at this year’s EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, kicking off a five-year extension of their exclusive higher education partnership in developing educational and STEM programs to inspire the next generation of pilots, aircraft technicians, aerospace engineers and dreamers.

The free activities are taking place from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. every day through Saturday at the KHAA/Living Legends of Aviation display in the Wittman Hangar at KidVenture, which can be found on the EAA map at D7. Here, Embry-Riddle students and KHAA volunteers are available to guide children in using Kiddie Hawk aircraft and helicopter trainers. These kinetic-motion flight simulators specially designed for children let them “fly” a few feet off the ground, learning about pitch, yaw and roll while using a stick-and-pedal system similar to real aircraft.

Prominently positioned at the entrance to Wittman Hangar is a new RV partially funded by Embry-Riddle as part of its renewed collaboration with KHAA. Throughout the Oshkosh run, Embry-Riddle students are stationed by the vehicle conducting three ongoing workshops for children – a chart scavenger hunt, a transportation matching game and paper airplane construction.

“We’re so grateful to Embry-Riddle for helping to make the new RV possible,” said Stacey Elsner, executive director of the nonprofit KHAA and Living Legends of Aviation. “It really takes our joint STEM outreach to the next level, allowing us to transport the Kiddie Hawk flight simulators and volunteers around the country in an attractive and professional-looking vehicle.” The RV and its staff will visit schools and aviation events, including Embry-Riddle’s Wings & Waves air show Oct. 11-12 this year in Daytona Beach, FL.

Another feature of KHAA’s Oshkosh display is a “Legends and Guests” stage where aviation celebrities, business leaders and innovators are on hand each day to answer questions from kids, encourage them to strive for academic excellence and discuss career options in aviation and aerospace.

“The fun, interactive activities developed by Kiddie Hawk Air Academy and Embry-Riddle are proving to be an effective way to encourage children to explore aviation,” said Embry-Riddle Vice President of Marketing and Enrollment Management Bill Hampton. “It was a natural next step for us to reaffirm our alliance with Kiddie Hawk to continue sparking a love of flight in children who come to air shows like EAA AirVenture.”

Youths interested in more information about Embry-Riddle, the world’s leading aerospace university, can check out the school’s College Park exhibition at Oshkosh, where Cessna, Diamond, Piper and Robinson aircraft from the university’s Daytona Beach, FL, and Prescott, AZ, campuses are on display.

FMI: www.erau.edu