Camp
Wings Of Florida
January 5 - CAMP WINGS is a free, annual,
non-profit, two day, aviation-oriented camp for 30 students from the
Belleville (FL) area. It is designed for students who have shown an
interest in or love of airplanes, flying or aviation technology. It is
usually held in November.
"Our 2006 camp was the biggest yet, a culmination of 3 years of work
proving that it gets better every year," said Chris Hoefly, CAMP WINGS
Founder and Director. "Everyone working out here is donating their time,
planes, money, and efforts all to give these kids the chance of a
lifetime," said Hoefly as a flight of three WW II T-6's flew over the
field in formation.
Twenty-Eight local K-12 students participated as well as an army of
staff, pilots and volunteers. There was a phenomenal aerobatics
demonstration by Nikolai Timofeev in his Sukhoi Su 26 to start the
camp. More than forty planes were on display and flew by through out
the camp. Fly-bys of the WW II era PBY Catalina floatplane by Charlie
Clements (pictured on front cover) and an L-39 jet by Eilon Krugman-Kadi
were big hits.
Campers participated in classes on the history of flight, aerodynamics,
and navigation to name a few. In the aerodynamics class, hands-on
experiments mystified the campers as they learned about the principles
of air and how even the heaviest planes stay in the air.
Demonstrations of different types of aircraft helped to solidify the
information from these classes. Campers also watched skydiving by Ray
Menz , a remote control plane flown by Jeff Gruver, a hot air balloon
demonstration by Dan Lane and a Stearman formation fly-by just to name a
few.
Day One ended with a "drive-in" style showing of the movie "Top Gun"
with popcorn and a bunch of very tired campers. After a good night's
sleep the campers woke to a pancake breakfast and a chance to swap
stories from the day before.
On Day Two the campers flew in up to three planes with the camp's team
of qualified pilots. Seventeen planes left Back Achers Airfield and
thanks to Jim and Chris Garemore their first stop was at Greystone
Airport, home to John Travolta and his jets. They then went to the Ocala
International Airport to see how a public, general aviation airport and
FBO work. The last leg of their journey was a return flight to Back
Achers for lunch provided by the Sky Pirates R/C Club, a group based on
the airfield.
Several organizations and businesses came together and helped out with
this year's camp. Five cadets, Jonathan Mahan, Codie Finch, Michelle
Tyrlik, Michael Sayers and Brandon Clark from the University of Central
Florida Air Force ROTC Arnold Air Society came to volunteer. The Marion
County Sheriff's Office brought their helicopter in and talked with the
campers about what they do and how to become a helicopter pilot. The
Hangar Flyers of The Villages also came out to tell stories of their
aviation experiences spanning from WWII to today. The support of these
groups and businesses is what is driving the camp to gain notoriety.
The future looks bright for this little camp. Having made the front page
of local papers even before the camp was over, Hoefly plans on having 40
students attend next year, putting together a scholarship for one camper
to get his/her license for free and even announcing a possible trip to
the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C. for some lucky
campers.
"In short, our goal is to offer students the opportunity to learn about
aviation and give them the inspiration to take part in the wonderful
world of flight," said Hoefly summing up this experience.
For more information go to www.campwings.com.
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