Published: April 29, 2008 08:48 pm            

Experience aviation firsthand at Summer Honors Program

TERRE HAUTE — Indiana State University’s Summer Honors Program offers 16 unique, hands-on learning opportunities, but one session will have students flying high — literally.

Students participating in the Summer Honors aviation course will experience a range of activities on the ground and in the air.

Highlights of the course include training on the university’s multi-million dollar flight simulators and taking the controls of a Cessna 172 aircraft under the watchful guidance of a certified flight instructor, according to Troy Allen, assistant professor of aviation technology, who will teach the session.

“Students will spend one hour in an actual aircraft,” Allen said.

“They can log that time with the instructor on a flight log book and it will count as instruction time.”

The simulator training, conducted by current ISU aviation students, will teach participants aircraft handling, explain instrumentation and provide instruction on conducting basic maneuvers, such as takeoff, landing and climbing to altitude.

“These are basic fundamental skills that will get them acclimated prior to taking the controls of an actual aircraft,” Allen said. “Our aviation majors go through this as well.”

Allen said the experience in an actual aircraft is an important one. His research has shown that one of the key factors that influence a student to pursue a degree in aviation is their first flight in an aircraft.

But there is more to aviation that just flying an aircraft and Allen’s session also will highlight the management side of aviation through a mock inspection of Terre Haute International Airport.

“Some students interested in aviation may not be interested in flying, but interested in the business side,” Allen said.

Aviation students need to have skills in science and math, and those principles are part of ISU’s innovative, hands-on Summer Honors course.

“Aviation is an interdisciplinary medium. You are going to need math and science skills to succeed,” he said.

Allen will use balsa wood gliders to explain basic aerodynamics and the science behind them and will teach students how to use the Indiana Aeronautical Chart to plot a cross country flight.

Teaching students about careers in aviation isn’t new for Allen.

While at the Indiana Department of Transportation, Aeronautics Section, he co-authored the book “Project Takeoff,” which introduced K-12 students to aviation.

“I’ve taken what I’ve done in industry and brought it to the university.”

Allen has high hopes for the session.

“I hope to give them a general overview of aviation,” Allen said. “I hope it will spark their interest and that they will catch a dream.”

Summer Honors participants earn one semester hour of credit that may be applied to a degree at ISU or transferred to select universities. In addition, those who complete a Summer Honors seminar and graduate from high school with at least a B average will be eligible to earn a scholarship to ISU.

More information about Indiana State’s Summer Honors program and the 16 topical sessions offered can be found at www.indstate.edu/

experience. Space is still available in art, athletic training, global politics and global warming, interior design, engineering physics, health careers, basic techniques of cancer research, history, Latino culture, news reporting, music, graphic design and blogging. Deadline to register for Summer Honors is June 2.

        

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