It was a busy week out at the museum this past week, lots of people dropping by and planes moving about — exactly the kind of activity that we love. Summer brings field trips from camps throughout South Florida and this week we were honored to host the Girl Scout campers from Camp Choee in south Miami-Dade county.
The scouts were represented by 35 young ladies decked out in pink t-shirts who visited for a variety of activities focused on Women in Aviation. Also invited were Ursula Davidson, Tamra Sheffman, Myra Bugbee of the 99s women whose careers and lives has taken them airborne. In attendance were Ursula Davidson from the 99’s, a women’s pilot association; Captain Kimberley Lowe, a Captain with American Airlines; and Annette , a flight controller from Kendall-Tamiami Airport’s control tower.
Tamra and Myra speak about their trip
Tamra Sheffman and Myra Bugbee recent cross-country flight to participate in a women’s pilot race was highlighted by a beautiful video of the sights and soundsthat they experienced along the way. The girls asked questions about being a pilot and shared their own stories with Tamra and Myra.
Captain Kimberley, as the girls called her, intrigued everyone by sharing how she became a Captain with American Airlines (she
Captain Kimberley explains how flaps work
worked her way up from customer service while she studied for her pilot license). She brought along some charts which showed the interior of a cockpit, as well as photo of an airport runway. During her conversation with the girls, she was able to discuss the responsibilities of being a pilot of a large jet, the scientific foundation of flight and answer questions about women commercial pilots.
Following the time spent with Captain Kim, the young ladies met Barry Offenburger, a veteran and volunteer from The Mission Continues, who escorted them on a tour of the hangar. While the girls were on the ramp, Annette from the FAA control tower came by and spoke to them about her career and what she does during her shift.
Manny from TopGun Flight Academy shows scouts the plane
The scouts had more activities to come following the visit from the tower. Manny from TopGun Flight Academy, a flight school located on the airport, visited the museum with one of his Cessna’s and spoke with the girls about his plane and learning to fly. He allowed them to climb up into the plane. From those seats they could see what it was like to be a pilot preparing to fly.
The last activity of the day was a stroll next door to the campus of Miami Dade College’s Aviation School where the young ladies saw the flight simulators and met aviation students who were studying in a classroom. They were warmly greeted by one of the professors and his students who encouraged the girls to come back to study. On the way out of the building one of the scouts proclaimed that she wanted to come back to the college and learn to fly. That one comment tells the story of what the camp’s whole day was about: expanding their horizons beyond the ordinary!
Miami