Sugarbush Soaring summer camps for youth
Vermont mountain airport ‘like a park’
Tom Anderson and his wife Jen Stamp instruct, coach, mentor, and bond with young people who are building self-esteem and learning about aviation career options during one of three summer Sugarbush Youth Soaring Camps.
“We’re providing an avenue for them to gain confidence in themselves,” he said.
The Vermont camp teaches aviation skills and builds attendees' confidence in an idyllic mountain setting. “It’s a beautiful airport, it’s like a park,” said Anderson.
Campers explore science, technology, engineering, and math in a hands-on environment as they learn about weather patterns, lift, gravity, thrust, and drag from the cockpit of the soaring facility’s two-person gliders.
The summer sessions challenge the sailplane campers to conquer the dynamics of ridge lift, mountain waves, and thermals during 10 instructional flights and five ground school sessions. They learn firsthand about aerodynamics and maneuvers, airspace and regulations, launch and recovery procedures, and more. Anderson said the $2,450 sleep-away camp for youths ages 13 through 18 is comparable in value to specialized tennis, horseback riding, or water sports experiences.
Spots are filling up for the July 7 to 13, July 21 to 27, and Aug. 4 to 10 sessions. The fee includes all meals beginning with an arrival dinner and ending with a departure breakfast, time in the aircraft, personalized instruction, outdoor activities, and nights gazing at the stars.
The airfield is tucked into the foothills of Sugarbush Resort ski mountain and makes a scenic getaway for teens locked into an otherwise digitally dominated world. “Oh yeah, I’ve threatened to throw a few of the phones into the pond,” he joked, “but I know we’re successful because we don’t have to bug them [about it] and the kids tell me they don’t mind” becoming unglued from their electronics for a week.
A Line Crew Program for local teen youth credits Vermonters with flight instruction for each day they work on the flight line. Anderson said it opens aviation to those who might not otherwise consider it. Potential aviators who need a financial boost may also apply for one of two $2,600 scholarships administered by the Flight Experience for Youth nonprofit by sending an email to the Sugarbush Soaring Association.
Anderson said he was impressed by the passion he saw in youth attending previous summer sessions. He noted that many campers have become evangelists for the soaring camp and have attended multiple times. Others have gone on to attend aviation-specific colleges and entered aviation careers of their own.
“These teens have a lot of fun during the camps. We really do teach them how to fly, with a lot of stick and rudder, but they also go swimming, kayaking, stargazing, make bonfires, and camp out at the airfield.”
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