MOUNTAIN PINE — Mountain Pine fifth-grader Raith Monroe, 10, recently attended the Mach 1 program of the Aviation Challenge camp at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Ala., just over two decades after his father, Jason Monroe, and uncle, Chris Monroe, did the same.
From June 14-21, Raith, along with over 400 other 9-11 year-olds, attended the camp meant to “promote science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), while training students and with hands-on activities and missions based on teamwork, leadership and problem solving,” according to the program’s website.
Camp activities listed on the website included learning navigation and air combat techniques and putting them into practice in jet aircraft simulators; exploring aviation principles and airframe design; learning basic survival skills for land and sea; studying retired aircraft available on-site; learning about unmanned aerial systems and their applications; experiencing team building; testing patrolling, teamwork and outdoor skills in a field training exercises; and learning basic drill and ceremony commands and movements.
The experience was a 10th birthday gift from his family, as Raith has been very interested in science and technology since a young age and has wanted to attend the camp for several years, Raith’s grandmother Pixie Monroe, said.
As Pixie Monroe dropped him off at the camp, she observed that the program had changed over the years in accordance with technological advancements.
“They didn’t even have robotics or cybersecurity back 23 years ago. They didn’t have that stuff. So it’s been interesting how much it’s changed even for me going back. I was shocked at how much it had changed,” she said.
Once Raith was on his own at camp, it was time to begin delving into the field of aviation.
That meant choosing a call sign. He selected “Ranger” as his call sign, since he said he is an avid fan of Chuck Norris in the television show “Walker, Texas Ranger.”
One of Raith’s favorite parts of camp was a game known as “patrolling.”
“There’s different teams. There’s Mach 1, Mach 2 and Mach 3. We had our afternoon instructors, and I believe all the morning instructors were like the enemies. So if they saw you, you were out with them. But if they didn’t see you and you tapped them on the shoulder, they were neutralized, and everyone that was captured were freed,” he said.
He was also eager to try the flight simulators and found he had a knack for them.
“It’s basically where you sit down in this metal tin can, and then you basically have the throttle and joystick. Then you have to put up your flaps, put down your flaps, then you had to go 20 knots, then over 500 knots when you’re in the air. They had us land, they had us shoot down enemies. If you wanted to land on a carrier, there was a carrier moving in the water, and me and my buddy were the only ones that tried to do that. We succeeded,” Raith said.
The conclusion of the camp was marked by a graduation ceremony, at which distinguished astronaut and test and combat pilot Col. Robert Springer addressed the campers.
The camp has several other categories besides aviation that campers can choose to participate in, including robotics and cybersecurity, both of which Raith is considering attending in the future.
He said he feels his experience at aviation camp will benefit him in future career endeavors.
“I think it will help me in the future. I was thinking about being a pilot for the navy. I’m still debating on it.”
