36112,
30
June
2021
|
15:28 PM
America/Chicago

Minn. Members Share Aviation Lessons with Girl Scouts

Cadet Capt. Briannah McDaniel
Hutchinson Composite Squadron
Minnesota Wing

Flying lesson

The Minnesota Wing’s Hutchinson Composite Squadron hosted an aerospace day camp June 8-9 focused on introducing local Girl Scouts to basic aviation principles and drone operation.

The first day’s session was held at Lake Marion, with the second conducted at the squadron’s building at Hutchinson Municipal Airport, 7 miles north.

Two senior members and two cadets taught the Scouts, ages 5-18, how to safely operate drones according to the Federal Aviation Administration rules for recreational flight. Several Scouts got to fly a Skydio and a DJI Mavic Mini at Lake Marion.

Cadet Capt. Briannah McDaniel led the session on the Skydio; her counterpart with the Mavic Mini was Cadet 2nd Lt. Jeffrey Michel. They were supervised by 2nd Lt. Lt Butch Herschman, the squadron’s aerospace education officer, and Senior Member Laura McDaniel, testing officer.

The next day, the Scouts assembled at the Hutchinson airport to learn about powered aircraft. The presentation covered preflight checks for a Cessna 172 and basic ground school instruction on rudimentary aircraft mechanics.

Several Scouts got the chance to operate a Cessna 172 flight simulator.