California Wing Civil Air Patrol's annual Aerospace Education Science Technology Engineering Math Academy

The Edwards AFB 412th Test Wing will host the California Wing Civil Air Patrol Wing Aerospace Education Science Technology Engineering Academy, (CAWG AE STEM) beginning Sunday, June 16 through Sunday, June 23.

Dr. David G. Smith, the 412th TW Installation Support director, with Col. Alan Ferguson, CAWG commander, Col. Roger Dunn, CAWG director Aerospace Education (DAE) and Lt. Col. Rich Radvanyi, CAWG Group 6 commander and liaison officer, USAF ret., have combined their knowledge and expertise in arranging base tours including the vast flight line assets of the B-2 Spirit stealth fighter, the F-22 Raptor, the F35 Lightening II, the Tracon Tower, the Test Pilot School (TPS), the Air Force Rocket Lab (AFRL), the Robotics Demonstration at Explosives Ordinance Disposal (EOD) and the Emerging Technologies/Controlled Test Flight (ET/CTF). This year, Lt. Col. Radvanyi was able to arrange a special C-17 cargo airplane military orientation flight, which will consist of two sorties where there will be an engines running crew change (ERCC) to be able to off-load the first group and upload the second group for a two hour flight.

CAWG CAP AESA 2019 staff team members will arrive on Saturday, June 15 to prepare for the 48 eager AE STEM cadets who will arrive on Sunday, June 16. A special presentation by, USAF retirees Lt. Col. “Flaps” Bill Flanagan, and his wife, Lt. Col. Toni Flanagan, on Monday, will launch the week long activities. Flaps will share his experiences as a NASA SR-71 Blackbird pilot, with Toni sharing her military career during the Vietnam War. George Welsh, director of the Air Force Flight Museum, will be on hand to host the Flanagans and the AESA cadets for a museum tour, which has been arranged through, Maj. Gailmary Harper, the AESA public affairs officer.

Also, on tap for AESA cadet activities will be the CAWG CAP pilots offering cadets their first CAP cadet orientation flight opportunity onboard a CAP Cessna powered airplane taking off from the Edwards AFB south base runways 205/206, which are located by the Aero Club, beginning shortly after sunrise. The week long daytime AESA activities will culminate with a special Legislative Member Open House taking place on Friday, June 21, which is dedicated to elected government officials from the Los Angeles, Antelope Valley and southeast Kern counties. CAP’s distinguished guests will have the opportunity to team with cadet students and their aerospace education member instructors (AEM) who will be showcasing one of the fifteen interactive CAP AE STEM kits on display including Sphero robotics, flight simulator, Raspberry Pi, OWI robotic arm, a weather station, quadcopter, to name just a few. The Open House events will close with a tour of the CAWG AE STEM Mobile unit with Col. Dunn and Superintendent, Lt. Col. Kenneth Endrizzi.

To quote Lt. Col. Endrizzi, “Insight to your future – explore, inspire, motivate. Civil Air Patrol looks to the premier Air Force Wing to assist us in engaging our future leaders. This is an exciting week learning STEM concepts and abilities with California Wing’s top aerospace educators as well as viewing the “top-of-the-line” Air Force leaders operating innovate aerospace assets. The cadets are looking forward to their adventure in AESA 2019.”

For more information on the CAWG AE STEM Academy, you may contact Lt. Col Endrizzi at (707) 673-7891; email: [email protected]; or visit: [email protected].

Civil Air Patrol, the longtime all-volunteer U. S. Air Force Auxiliary, is the newest member of the Air Force’s Total Force. In this role, CAP operates a fleet of 560 aircraft, performs about 90 percent of continental U. S. Inland search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center and is credited by the AFRCC with saving an average of 82 lives annually. CAP’s 61,000 members also perform homeland security, disaster relief and drug interdiction missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies. In addition, CAP plays a leading role in aerospace/STEM education, and its members serve as mentors to over 25,000 young people participating in CAP’s Cadet Programs. Visit http://www.GoCivilAirPatrol.com or http://www.CAP.news for more information.