COLORADO NINETY-NINES AIR BEAR

Air Bear is a 99s-sponsored participatory role-playing exercise aimed at kindergarten through second-grade students. The first phase — Air Bears Go to School — introduces participants to a wider world of future avocation possibilities and encourages them to choose an aviation-related career. Using props, audio and video tapes, signs, and other artifacts, the 99 presenter conducts a flight to Disney World as participants assume the roles of pilots, ground crew, ATC, caterers, etc.

In the second phase — Air Bears Go to the Airport—students visit a local flying club or FBO. The 99 conducts a tour of the facility’s classrooms, the pilot planning rooms, lounges, hangars, and aircraft. With permission, the aircraft may be inspected for a closer look, which is usually the highlight of the tour. If time and the facilities permit, the visit may follows with a short film or a visit to the tower. It concludes with the distribution of Air Bear certificates, a group photo, and perhaps decals or stickers.

For more information about Air Bears, visit the 99s web site at http://www.ninety-nines.org/airbear.html. You’ll find that the 99s sponsor two other aerospace education programs that you may be interested in taking charge of yourself:

·        Theory of Flight provides an aerospace curriculum for intermediate-level elementary science classes.

·        Career Days presents a full range of aviation-type avocations (not just pilot) geared towards 7-8 graders.

Please contact me if you’d like to invest in the future of aviation by participating in this rewarding and worthwhile program.

Sue Hughes

souix16@yahoo.com

For further information, contact the Colorado 99s Webmaster

Last Updated: 03 March, 2005

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