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From afar, Thursday looked like normal at the Houghton County Memorial Airport. Inside hangar two, it was anything but. Teenagers from across the state got their first experience piloting an aircraft thanks to Michigan Tech’s Summer Youth Program, the Civil Air Patrol, and the Experimental Aircraft Association.
Spokesperson Kevin Cadeau says the school teaches kids more than just what it means to be a pilot. It is a look at the entire aviation industry.
He says the future of the profession is brighter when it is accessible to all. In some cases, Thursday will be the stepping stone to the most technologically advanced planes on the planet.
Students have also had a chance to spend time in flight simulators and taken part in classroom instruction inside the Electrical Energy Resources Center.
The Copper Country Composite Squadron serves many functions besides the summer flight school. It is involved with close to 90 percent of area search and rescue operations. The group boasts two dozen members and meets Mondays at 5:30 PM at the airport for anyone interested in joining. Major Jeffrey Burl, a professor at Michigan Tech, is the unit’s leader. The group works closely throughout the year with the university’s Air Force ROTC program.
