Staff Sections

Main Content

Franklin County Composite Squadron helps Girl Scouts with Aerospace Training

Bottle rocket launch
2 of 3
Girl Scout Flight Academy with C/MSgt Charlie Floyd and C/1stLt Gladys Toebes setting up for a bottle rocket launch. PHOTO CREDIT:1st Lt Mary Toebes, CAP (click image to view full size)
Story Tools

Squadron assists with Girl Scout Flight Academy

By 1st Lt Mary Toebes, CAP
Asst Public Affairs Officer, Franklin County Composite Squadron

9/17/2016–FRANKLIN COUNTY, NC–Members of the Franklin County Composite Squadron helped out the Girl Scouts of Franklin, Granville and Durham Counties by facilitating their aerospace program.

The Girl Scouting program offers an Aerospace Merit Badge. They use science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) to learn. The Girl Scouts invited the Franklin County Composite Squadron to help with their Girl Scout Flight Academy. 
 
The squadron had 7 Senior Members and 7 Cadets come out for the day. The Senior Members attending were Lt Col John Armour, Lt Col Lisa Armour, Maj Richard Netherby, Capt James Toebes, 1st Lt Kenneth Floyd, 1st Lt Mary Toebes, and 2d Lt Rondall Early. The cadets that gave up their Saturday to help teach were C/1stLt Susan Toebes, C/1stLt Gladys Toebes, C/2dLt Benjamin Pratt, C/MSgt Charlie Floyd, C/TSgt Korey Floyd, C/SrA Simon Nugent, and C/A1C Joseph Sakowski.
 
The day started with stations to make different flying machines from paper. The scouts made paper airplanes, a flying ring, and a whirlygig. Next came 2 kinds of gliders. Then, lastly, the big project of rockets. The younger girls made bottle rockets and the older girls made alpha-stage rockets.
 
After lunch was launch time. The Civil Air Patrol set up and ran 2 different launch areas. One area for launching bottle rockets and the second area for the launching of alpha rockets.
 
The Girl Scouts presented the squadron with a poster board signed by most of the attendees. 1st Lt Kenneth Floyd said, “the camporee was such a success that another district has contacted Wendy Floyd to see how they can duplicate the event for their girls.”
 
The aerospace day took place at the request of Girl Scout Leader Wendy Floyd. She had several meetings with other Girl Scout leaders and 1st Lt Kenneth Floyd, to plan out the date and activities. It was a very successful day. Many of the Girl Scouts are now asking about Civil Air Patrol and how they can get involved.