A group of students and parents were treated to flying airplanes and logging flight time at Washington-Warren Airport on Saturday courtesy of the Beaufort County Police Activities League-sponsored Parents Day.

The program was a continuation of PAL’s three-year grant from Burroughs Wellcome, an organization that supports basic research and other scientific and educational activities, allowing PAL to engage students in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) activities and education, said Al Powell, president of BC PAL.

“We decided to have a field day for kids and parents because we figured if the parents can get excited about projects and careers we’re exposing their kids to, they’ll enthusiastically support it,” Powell said. “This was a first-time experience for parents, just like for the kids.”

The program is unique in the sense that nine students were able to fly state-of-the-art aircraft and log flight hours, an opportunity rarely presented to anyone under the age of 17, Powell said. Seventeen is the age in which someone can acquire a pilot’s license, according to Powell.

If, in the future, any of the students wanted to pursue a career in aviation, the hours would be credited toward their training, Powell said.

“I think it’s a great experience for the kids to come out and do this,” said Robert Ruther, father of two participants, Randall and Reagan Ruther. “It helps encourage them and keep them away from bad things. This is really a positive thing, and I’m glad they’re doing it.”

“Especially when we have to work after school,” said Tracie Ruther, mother of Randall and Reagan. “They’re doing something constructive and learning a lot about STEM. This is something our children never would have been able to do.”

During the field day, the students and parents were given the opportunity to fly in state-of-the-art aircraft, thanks to a partnership with Dillon’s Aviation, a Greenville-based, FAA-certified flight school. Participants attended a short course involving instruction about controls, physics of flight and other principles of aviation, Powell said.

Christine Somerville, who accompanied daughter Janessa Henry, a sixth-grader at P.S. Jones Middle School, said Janessa joined the program last year and has become very enthusiastic about activities involving STEM education.

“Through this program, she’s been able to learn about aviation and had an opportunity to fly this past summer and today,” Somerville said. “It’s just very rewarding. Through the program, she learns about the math and science and engineering, and we have conversations about future careers, and I think this is something she’s really interested in pursuing. If it wasn’t for this program, she probably wouldn’t have thought about this. For all the other parents out there, find out more information about this program because it will really benefit their kids.”

“For the future, one of my plans, I could be an aviator and go to flight school and get my license to be able to fly. I like to be with my friends, and we have fun and go to places and learn a lot. I flew by myself today. It was an awesome experience,” Janessa said.

Students were also given the opportunity to fly in a helicopter, thanks to coordination with John Hayes, a certified helicopter flight instructor and owner of Skydive Little Washington.

Taft Stallings, a FAA-certified flight instructor who took the students up in the plane, said the program focuses heavily on education and hands-on applications, giving students a peek into how important excelling in school is in propelling them into future careers.

“Obviously, education is a great segue into education, whether it’s aviation or it falls into other education,” Stallings said. “While flying, we’re talking about physics of flight, the four forces of flight, lift and other things. This is a good way we’re trying to promote good, solid education. This is a great segue into showing people from classrooms to putting it into practical applications and showing them school is important.”