The Virginia Department of Aviation participated in the annual Summer Transportation Institute program (STIP) at Virginia State University. The purpose of the program is to create awareness and stimulate interest in secondary school students to take maximum advantage of the opportunities that exist in the transportation industry.

DOAV Public Relations and Education staff worked with 14 high school students over the course of four days to provide a variety of educational aviation opportunities. Betty Wilson presented a classroom lesson on how airplanes fly, discussed various aviation careers with the students and used aeronautical charts for a hands-on learning activity.

The ICON A5 Introduction to Flight team also traveled to VSU as a part of STIP. Tony Sotelo and David Halstead led a presentation about the light sport amphibious aircraft while each student had the opportunity to sit in the ICON A5 and operate the controls. Learning how to fly with the DOAV flight simulator from Kim Anderson was a favorite experience for many students.

DOAV team members accompanied the group on a tour of the Shannon Air Museum in Fredericksburg. The trip served as a great immersion experience for the students to see the history of flight and the advances that have been made in aviation over the years. Students were also able to view the Virginia Aviation Hall of Fame that was created to honor Virginians who have made significant and lasting contributions to aviation.

All students constructed a Delta Dart airplane and then had a flying contest to see whose could fly the longest. Overall, it was a fun-filled week that opened a lot of doors for students to see what opportunities exist in the vast aviation industry.