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New STOKE Aviation Program for Townsend Kids
Author: Matt Nelson

Matt Nelson

In Townsend, in addition to nine other STOKE youth events going on, a new one is just being started, which is centered around aviation. (STOKE stands for SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, OUTDOORS, KNOWLEDGE, ENTREPRENEURSHIP. The Stoke Montana website is https://stokemt.org/ .) Broadwater/Townsend Airport Manager Dwight Thompson is leading the effort, along with Townsend’s STOKE Program Director Candice

O’Hara. The Vice-President of STOKE in Townsend is Tina Homann.

There was an Aviation Career Day at Helena Airport on Friday, April 3rd. It was free and open to kids in the 6th to 12th grades. A dozen girls and boys met up at The Lodge and participated. Tina drove the kids to Helena in the STOKE van that somebody donated.

“Do you look up at the sky and wish you were there? Now you can be! STOKE is working with the Helena chapter of Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) to learn about aviation scholarship opportunities & career opportunities such as becoming a pilot, ATC controller, aircraft mechanic, and more!” (STOKE website)

Upon arrival at the Helena airport, the group first went to Montana Aeronautics and met with Barbara Barnum, the Aviation Program Coordinator, and two pilots, Steven Torske, who is the Aviation Program Manager, and Kelly Atkins, the Aviation Support Officer. Steve inspects every public airport in Montana, both by flying over them and doing ground inspections. The students eagerly climbed into the cockpits of two planes that Montana Aeronautics owns. One is a 1975 Beech A36 and the other is a 1999 Cessna 206.

After that, everybody went to Sky Service (formerly Exec Air) for a session about many of the steps students must go through to earn their pilot licenses, which was led by pilots Brenna Youmans, the Vice President of the Helena Chapter 344 of the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA), Michelle Petrina, the President of this organization, and Martin Petrina who is a First officer at Delta Airlines and previously was a SkyWest captain. It was quite comprehensive and enjoyable.

In addition to this, the students were able to register to become Young Eagles. The purpose of the Young Eagles Program is to introduce kids to aviation. Over the years, over 2 million participating kids around the country have been given free Young Eagles flights by volunteer EAA pilots. Often, these were the kids’ first flights. Many have gone on to receive their private pilot’s license. Some have even gone further to become commercial and/or military pilots.

After the tour of the planes, lunch was bought by the STOKE organization. One participant said that she now wanted to be a pilot because of her experience that day! Another girl said she is thinking about joining the Air Force!

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PhotoCredit: Matt Nelson
Image 1 Caption: Townsend STOKE aviation students, some parents, and flight instructors are standing in front of a fantastic looking 1944 Howard DGA-15 airplane. Photo Credit: Matt Nelson