Page 70 - Life in Naples November 2018

What do Blue Angels, Flight Simulators

and Aircraft Carriers have in Common?

by Mily Perez-Distel “Mom, this week has been amazing, just incredible! My team
s I arrived at the National Flight Academy (NFA) in and I felt like we were carrying out missions on an aircraft carrier
Pensacola, Florida, for my 16-year-old son’s graduation while executing REAL flight missions!” This sentiment was echoed
ceremony, the sight of aircrafts from different periods of our by each and every student who I met as I toured the National Naval
A nation’s aviation history greeted me. My son, along with Air Museum, Ambition and the Blue Angel Atrium.
other Collier County high school students, had been selected by The students were as diverse and colorful as the planes
the NAACP as a scholarship recipient for the “CVT-11 Summer suspended from the ceiling of the museum, each from
Deployment” aboard Ambition, the aircraft carrier designed to different ethnic, cultural and geographical areas throughout
teach aspiring aviators to plan and execute flights through state-of- the world. Yet, they were united by their aeronautical quest,
the-art simulators and cutting edge technology.
Upon entering the National Naval Air Museum, I attempted
to take in the impressive display of countless aircrafts
suspended from the ceiling as well as the Blue Angel Atrium,
where the ceremony would be held. I was fortunate to join the
tour led by a decorated retired colonel, who discussed in great
detail the engineering developments and unique attributes of
the historical planes in the museum.
The second tour was conducted by my son, a Lely High School
student, who described with great excitement and awe the high
tech simulators, models and the various instructional cabins in
Ambition, which had empowered him and his team to plan, fly and
simulate successful landings on the 200-foot airstrip of a moving
aircraft carrier. The students had a rigorous schedule beginning the
instructional day at 6:30 am and retiring to their cabin at 10:30pm.
The learning was exponential throughout the day with countless,
challenging STEM activities executed in collaborative groups.

70 Life in Naples | November 2018