LANCASTER COUNTY, Pa. — More than 50 high schoolers from across Lancaster County are learning to become future aviators by flying drones in the shy. If aviation is your forte, you’re invited to join the A-TEAM.
“That means ‘aviation, technician, engineers, aviators and mechanics,’” explained John Sibole, director of aviation at Eastern Mennonite University (EMU).
EMU has partnered with Aero-Tech Hanger and Lancaster STEM Alliance for a three-day camp for the past two years. Students were selected after being approached by the guidance counselors of their respective schools.
The camp is also a way to get students interested in EMU's degree in Organizational Management with an Aviation Concentration, offered by the Lancaster campus.
“A big motivation for the camp is to expose our high school students to all the opportunities, particularly the stem-related opportunities in aviation,” Sibole said.
Each year brings a new theme to the camp. This year’s theme is ‘Drones for Good.’
“We view technology as neutral; it can be used for good or evil like any other technology, the way that's being used here, is the camp is structured around designing and building and the students get to do this,” Sibole described.
Students work in groups and compete in an aerial competition. The first day of the camp is for preliminary planning. Day two lets students begin building. The third and final day is the competition.
“They design and build a ‘vertiport,’ that’s combined with a blood bank, and then they also build a hospital rooftop helipad, then they build a cargo pod which is carried by a drone,” Sibole said.
While the camp is meant to be a student competition, the use of drones to deliver blood has a potential real-world application.
“We had two women from the Penn-medicine LGH blood bank come out, and when it was time for questions, I asked the question ‘Is this a crazy idea’ and gratifyingly she said, ‘No, actually it’s not!’” Sibole said.
Sibole told Fox43 next year’s theme hasn’t been decided, however, the camp could bring the drones back if they remain popular.