Kansas State University

OLATHE -- A Kansas State University Salina flight team and faculty will land at the Kansas State University Olathe campus, 22201 W. Innovation Drive, to offer an aviation summer youth camp July 15-17.

The aviation fixation camp is open to students entering third through sixth grades this fall. Two sessions of the camp will be offered -- a morning session from 8 a.m. to noon and an afternoon session from 12:45 to 4:45 p.m. Registration cost is $70 prior to July 1, and $80 July 1 and after.

Students will practice flying in a simulator, learn about air traffic control, the history of aviation, build and fly a hot air balloon, and tour a control tower, static airplanes and helicopters. They also will visit the New Century AirCenter in Gardner. The camp will be led by K-State Salina flight team students and Tom Karcz, assistant professor of aviation.

Karcz wanted to bring the aviation fixation camp to Olathe, where he grew up, so that students from the metro area can be exposed to the tremendous opportunities available to them in aviation and technology at Kansas State University.

"There are so many kids that have no idea that K-State Salina has one of the best aviation programs in the country, and K-State Olathe is a gem right here at our fingertips that allows us the opportunity to offer it," Karcz said.

K-State Salina offers three instrument runways adjacent to campus, modern classrooms, labs, a state-of-the-art Canadair Regional Jet simulator, an operational dispatch center, an aviation maintenance training hangar and a nationally recognized unmanned aircraft systems program. K-State Olathe, which has state-of-the-art high-tech classrooms, is a natural choice for the location of the camp.

"We're excited to be partnering with K-State Salina to offer this summer camp that we are sure will inspire students to become more interested in aviation, and see how STEM -- science, technology, engineering and mathematics -- concepts play into the field," said Micheal Strohschein, director of K-12 partnerships at K-State Olathe. This camp will be full of inspiration and fun for these students, and we are thrilled to be hosting the Salina team on our campus."

For more information, contact Strohschein at 913-307-7342 or mistroh@k-state.edu. More Information and registration also are available at http://olathe.k-state.edu/k-12/camps-workshops/aviation-camp.html.