On August 26th 2022, fifteen VCHS students with VCHS Technology teacher, Nicolas DeStefano, and VCHS Asst. Principal, Cletus Witte took a field trip to the Air National Guard base at Stewart Field and had a “Pet the Jet” experience provided by the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds.
The students that attended the field trip belong to JROTC program and/or signed up for the new aviation elective being offered by the VCHS Technology Dept.
Students were able to look into the Thunderbirds F-16s cockpit, discuss the capabilities of these planes with their respective pilots, and witnessed their practice run of the performance for the airshow. The Thunderbird pilots answered questions students had about the jets and how to become a Thunderbird along with a private demonstration of what would be in the airshow.
In the aviation class being offered at VCHS, students will learn about engineering practices, problem-solving, and the innovations and technological developments that have made today’s aviation and aerospace industries possible. Students will explore modern innovations and develop their own innovative ideas to address real-world challenges facing the aviation industry. They will be exposed to a variety of career options in aviation and aerospace and take an in-depth look at the opportunities available.
Having the chance to take the students to visit the ANG base and explore the Thunderbird F-16s was a great opportunity to get started on our new exciting aviation class!