Civil Air Patrol cadets attend a program on aerospace and rocketry education. - Photo Special To West Hawaii Today

Instead of a typical spring break of surfing and watching television, 20 Hawaii Wing Civil Air Patrol cadets from Oahu, Maui and the Big Island participated in and experienced an educational aerospace experience. The cadets, 12 to 17 years old, had the opportunity to learn about aerospace and rocketry through an aerospace camp organized by 1st Lt. Eduardo R. Zayas, the patrol's wing director of aerospace education.

The weeklong camp took place at Pohakuloa Training Area and was a combination of classroom education, hands-on experience and camaraderie. Along with the expected encampment activities, such as drill and ceremonies, formation and physical training, were the specialized exercises, including land navigation using compasses and maps, radio communications, air traffic controller simulations, Emergency Locator Transmitter training, air marshalling maneuvers and a treasure hunt using GPS knowledge and equipment.

Throughout the camp, specialized instructors shared their knowledge with the cadets through extensive classroom time and hands-on experiments. Each cadet had the opportunity to try his hand at navigating from one side of Hawaii Island to the other using flight navigation simulators. They also learned about VOR Station Tracking and made simulated VOR flights from Kona to Opolu.

Special awards were presented to the cadets by Lt. Col. Warline Richardson, along with a PTA challenge coin.

Click Photo to Enlarge Cadets participate in an exercise program during an aerospace camp at Pohakuloa Training Area. - Photo Special To West Hawaii Today