Ready for takeoff

Kids with dreams of flying can live their fantasies at the Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor’s Flight School program.

Though the kids never leave the ground, they can learn about the science, history and technology of aviation.

"We start by getting them familiar with the displays in our two hangars, then go on to explain the four forces needed for flight, the basic tools of flight planning, using a flight simulator and hands-on control of an ultralight helicopter," said director of education Shauna Tonkin.

The class also visits flight operations aboard the USS Missouri and gives kids discussion time with people who have careers in aviation.

The program, which was launched last year, was a great success for the Ford Island museum, leading to its expansion this year with a program for boys and an advanced Flight School for Girls who already took the class and want to learn more.

Even though the program was initially supported by the Women’s Fund of Hawaii, "a lot of parents were complaining that it looked liked we were discriminating against boys," Tonkin said.

"Honestly, last summer we didn’t have the resources. But I’m glad to say that with the help of additional donations, we’re instituting a Flight School for Boys this summer."

Approximately 150 middle-school girls have gone through the program, with each class capped at 30, Tonkin said.

For the girls who already have received their graduation "wings" from a previous class, the Advanced Flight School for Girls in early July will be a three-day residential camp, Tonkin said, to include more advanced work, as well as two overnight stays on the USS Missouri and a day at a military base.