Introducing a young mind to aviation can be as easy as looking up to the sky. On the other hand, providing a solid pathway for a student to follow is a better way to connect students with their future. The latter requires a lot of work and thoughtfulness. The kind of education that students gain from attending an Aviation Career Education (ACE) Academy only happens because of an enormous amount of preparation that begins several months in advance. For the past 14 years, Laura Shepherd-Madsen, Communications Program Specialist (AMC-3) and Co-Director of ACE Camp, has been involved with teaching 7th and 8th grade students about aviation, inspiring them to dream big.
Laying the foundation for their future, she has coordinated everything from guest speakers to field trips, to student recognition ceremonies, meals and volunteer counselors, just to name a few. Advertising the camp begins months in advance, and the process for accepting applicants is a competitive process, regardless of grade point average. Students’ aspirations are taken into account, in addition to their attention to detail in their application packages. Typically, over 100 applications are received, but only 52 students can attend; 26 campers during each of the two camps.
Keeping the attention of that many Middle School students is no easy task, but during the month of June, she has led successful sessions, year after year. During the camps, Laura has introduced the kids to: live demonstrations of hot air balloon inflation, weather orientation, forces of flight (Bernoulli’s Principle), parts of an airplane, Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) education, "Eggbert" vehicle construction, and rocket building. And that’s only in the first day! Students also travel to the Aeronautical Center to learn about: aircraft accident investigation with the Transportation Safety Institute, they try their hand at aeronautical charting, while experiencing flight simulators with the FAA Academy, human factors, toxicology and egress from the Flexible Simulator at the Civil Aerospace Medical Institute (CAMI), among other activities on the Center. Day three is typically a trip to Tinker Air Force Base to learn about refueling tankers and the Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) planes, among other areas of interest. Students receive briefings about weight and balance in flight, aircraft instrumentation, the National Airspace System (NAS) and Load Master duties, followed by tours of actual aircraft. Day four involves helicopter fly-ins representing up to five organizations, ranging from a television station rotorcraft to police force and medivac choppers. Later in the day, students typically learn how to rivet sheet metal at Metro Tech, and actually taxi an aircraft! Following that, the group takes a bus over to Will Rogers World Airport to get a behind-the-scenes look at airport operations, to see where luggage is transferred, and to see how the Transportation Security Administration operates. Another activity that students enjoy is a tour of the Will Rogers Fire Department, where they don firefighting equipment, climb aboard the large fire trucks, and operate a firehose. While the fire truck demonstrates its powerful ability to spray water over a large area, counselors usually back away from students, because the firemen enjoy testing their equipment by dousing the kids with a water hose, which is a surprise welcome on a hot summer day. Students close out each day at camp with completing journal entries and writing thank you cards, which are sent to the significant speakers/representatives of the day. What better way is there to wind down, but with gratitude? That was surely an idea that Laura incorporated into the daily activities.
On the last day of camp, students travel to the Oklahoma Air National Guard base to launch rockets that they’d assembled earlier in the week. They also participate in robotics competitions and demonstrations, and Lego Mindstorm activities. More recently, Laura decided that a financial planning session would be beneficial for the students to learn about their future personal finances as well. Representatives from the True Sky Credit Union came to the class to teach valuable lessons on how to deal with and handle money. Though it might seem easy to coordinate the scheduling of all of the speakers and events, it is not. There are many variables to take into consideration, so Laura has learned to be flexible, and to have alternative plans ready when things take a turn.
Before the end of the last day, students also learn about the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) from a school teacher from Lawton, OK who also serves as a NASA Ambassador, and a local member of the Oklahoma City Astronomy Club provides an interesting lesson about our solar system. This year, as icing on the cake, the special guest speaker for ACE Camp graduation was none other than Scott "Scooter" Altman, (a former NASA Astronaut who has four Shuttle missions to his credit). He was an inspiration to the students, counselors and parents alike! It would not have happened without the efforts of Laura Shepherd-Madsen, as she provides the gravity that draws friendly people near.
Outside of the camp’s typical schedule, Laura facilitated another activity that has been popular for the last few years; indoor skydiving at iFly. Many students have taken advantage of the after-hours opportunity with their parents and siblings. Plus, on Saturdays after each week of camp, she also arranged for kids to fly in glider aircraft with the Oklahoma Soaring Association (Hinton, OK) if they choose to do so. If they don’t want to fly in a glider, they are given a chance to fly with the Experimental Aircraft Association - Young Eagles Club as well. Young Eagles is a program created by the US Experimental Aircraft Association designed to give children between the ages of 8 to 17 an opportunity to experience flight in a general aviation airplane while educating them about aviation. The program is offered free of charge with costs covered by the volunteers.
As proof of Laura’s leadership and dedication to fostering education in young minds, some of the counselors who have worked with her over the years have shared kind words.
Doris Biegler, School Teacher/NASA STEM Ambassador for Lawton Public Schools, says, "I have volunteered at ACE camp for the past 4 years, and I love working with the kids but I keep coming back because of how Laura has run the camp. She is so involved and invested into these kids. She works so hard to make sure they get a wonderful experience, learning aviation skills through ACE camp. She really has a passion for the future of aviation and believes that by attending ACE camp that many of these students will decide to go into the aviation field in one way or another. She makes sure to get to know every student personally and she works to make sure each one of their needs are met. Laura really has a heart for what she is doing at ACE camp and I think it is because of her that it has succeeded for so long."
Kathy Barnes (FAA Retired) states, "Laura is one of the kindest humans I know! I had the pleasure of working with her as a Co-Director for five years. Words come to mind like energetic, dynamic, efficient, intelligent, perceptive, passionate, professional, dedicated, flexible, committed, tactful, leader, humorous, innovative ... you get the idea! As you might guess, putting ACE camp together takes many, many, many hours of planning. Laura and I spent lots of time together working to make this camp a wonderful experience for the students. One of my favorite activities was graduation. Laura would watch all week long and take notes on students’ participation. She would then take this information and give a beautiful presentation to the students, parents and friends. Laura made every student feel valued by giving out small awards and gifts to every student, based on their behavior and contributions during the week. Laura is a fantastic leader - one I would follow anywhere."
Teresa Farrell, a Management and Program Analyst with the FAA Logistics Center’s Quality Management Systems Branch, provided this glimpse into ACE Camp; "Over the years, we have seen some highly intelligent kids that would impress even the top executives if given a chance. Their brains seemed to be running on full-steam all the time! We have also seen the quiet and shy ones that suddenly seemed to spring to life right before our eyes." She continues, "Laura has been very fair to all of the kids and Counselors that have been a part of the ACE Camp. She has enjoyed creating trivia questions for late in the day where students could earn chocolate. She always interacts professionally with everyone from the military, to the pilots, to Air Traffic Controllers, speakers, parents and to the siblings who came to speak directly to her as well. She would treat each individual with the respect that she would here at work every day… that is just Laura."
Teresa adds, "She is also good at going back through all the notes and getting the lessons learned, the POC’s for all the places, business cards, notes, information we gathered, etc. and bringing all of the documentation back, from year to year. Laura’s book during the training camp literally has all of the important information in one place; from the emergency phone numbers, to which child is allergic to certain food/medications, etc. The book is a great source of information that helps to keep the plan straight, and it always has an alternate strategy in the event that we have ’hiccups’ in the schedule. Laura takes care of preparing everything, and does it all with a smile."
Michael Branch, Assistant Site Director for Metro Technology Center’s Aviation Careers Campus also had kind words for Laura. "I have worked with Laura on the Aviation Careers Exploration Camp for the last three years. She has been a dream to work with. She is energetic and extremely passionate about this camp. She coordinates all of the events and workers for the camp. Her main goal is giving the kids the best aerospace experience possible, and she exceeds this goal each year!"
Tim Fannin, Director of Metro Technology Center’s Aviation Careers Campus also says,"I have had the pleasure of working with Laura during ACE camp. Her enthusiasm for the kids, the adventure, and the camaraderie that everyone experienced was contagious. To do what Laura has done with the Camp is no small feat and it took a lot of support from many partners, friends, and a great team of individuals. She brought everyone together each year. The real story of Laura and her team is best told through the 7th and 8th graders of years-past, and their parents. Some of the students have gone on to very prominent, highly paid, professional careers in the aerospace industry as a direct result of Laura’s work during ACE Camp. I cannot think of a better legacy than to make such a positive impact. Her passion, dedication, willingness to give of her time to help inspire others can't be taught. It can't be paid for, and it can't be mandated. I am blessed to have seen the excitement of the kids during the camp. The parents at graduation would give testimonies of the positive impact that Laura had on their child, and appreciated the Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center for making the event possible. What Laura did with ACE Camp set the standard for the rest of the nation."
As you can see, when it comes to Laura’s friendly disposition, people will line up to give testimony. Her optimism is contagious, and lifts spirits all around. She has a knack for teaching others, which comes from years of aviation research. Laura’s remarkable communication skills make it even easier for people to learn from her. This year at ACE Camp, 52 junior youth have come in contact with greatness, and the aviation industry has her to thank.
