Page 1 - Aerotech News and Review, July 5, 2019
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Students gain insight into test pilot tasks
Photograph by Evelyn Kristo
Students in the Junior Test Pilot Summer Program at Blackbird Airpark in Palmdale look for stealth capabilities on a display Lockheed Martin SR-71A aircraft. The two-week program at the Palmdale
airpark gives local students in grades 6 through 8 an opportunity to learn about the history of the Antelope Valley’s aerospace industry, as well as introduce them to the wide variety of skilled labor
available for careers in the industry.
by Alisha Semchuk program, initiated by the Flight Test Historical Foundation, the It’s a good opportunity for students to get a better understanding
staff writer first two summers. of the aerospace industry, Reeder said.
What keeps airplanes up? That’s one of the concepts students This year, Rebecca Reeder, the new general manager of the The first of four sessions kicked off June 17, Harfman said. That
studied if they joined the Junior Test Pilot Program, offered for the Flight Test Historical Foundation, took charge. first session ran on a condensed, one-week timeline. Participants
third consecutive summer this year at Blackbird Airpark on East must complete eight missions, generally one mission per day over
Avenue P in Palmdale, where about 20 military aircraft including A highlight of the program, Reeder said, is the fact that aero- two weeks. Students in the first session had to complete two mis-
the D-21 drone and the SR-71 are on display. space industry professionals come in as guest speakers for the sions per day during that four-day period.
students on class days.
The program hosts four sessions each year. The first runs for Harfman said the schedule of mission topics is set up as follows:
one week and is reserved for school classes. The following three “So students get one-on-one access to aerospace professionals,†Monday: Flight
sessions are two weeks long and are open to the public. This sum- Reeder said. “Also, they’re learning there are hundreds of jobs Tuesday: Stealth
mer all three public sessions are full. in their backyard — pilots, engineers, mechanics, machine shop Wednesday: Altitude
staff, IT personnel. In general, the goal is to get students excited Thursday: Mach Speed
The sessions run Monday through Thursday each week, ac- about learning. Monday: Payload
cording to Kathy Harfman, the gift shop manager at Edwards Tuesday: Maneuverability
Flight Test Museum and at Blackbird Airpark. Harfman ran the The program shows students that “learning is fun,†Reeder said.
Furthermore, she added, the professionals show students the path See JUNIOR, Page 3
that led to their own careers.
July 5, 2019• Volume 33, Issue 11 Serving the aerospace industry since 1986 Use your smartphone to
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