The 6th Annual Carl Hopkins WV Youth Aviation Expo is taking place Saturday, September 25 and 26 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at The Bridge Sports Complex/CityNet Center at 400 Forrester Boulevard in Bridgeport.

The mission of this annual expo is to introduce West Virginia students to the growing aerospace industry in North Central West Virginia while having a fun, free time playing with model aviation.

“The whole thing is about giving back,” organizer Ed Waske said. “I don’t want anyone to come in and say, ‘Well, we can’t afford that.’”

The event will be held upstairs at The Bridge and outside on the back turf field.

“This year is being done a bit differently,” Waske said. “We’re going to do the radio control simulator on the TV in the building. It’s kind of downsized, but what’s not downsized is the in-depth STEM programs. We are really looking forward to that.”

The hands-on aspect is important to Waske, who is grateful to donors for their assistance.

“We get the donation money because it provides the supplies so the kids build something and take it home. There’s no expense to the parents other than some time, possibly,” Waske said. “During the event Fairmont State and NASA will sit with normally 10 students at a time and you’ll build a rocket and shoot it.”

“A successful career in aerospace is right here in West Virginia,” the organization’s release said. “This event is a stepping stone to that goal.”

The activities include:

• Free Flight Model Airplane-Assemble and Fly.
• Control Line Model Airplane-Professional demonstrations and hands-on flying.
• Remote Control Model Aviation.  Fly with an instructor/trainer.
• Real Flight Radio Control Flight Simulator.
• Drones demonstrated by professional operators.  New activities added this year.
• Rocketry-build and launch with FSU representatives. Air Rockets launching too.
• Professional Kite Club demonstrations and kite-building class.
• Visit with College Representatives.
• Meet-and-Greet with local corporate executives in the aerospace industry.
• And so much more!

Volunteers from near and far make the event come to life.

“Doug Griggs, the guy who does free flight. He comes from New Hampshire with another friend. We do the wind-up airplanes and gliders with them,” Waske said. “If the kids show an interest, they have something to take home.

“The radio control and the control line is hands-on, you get to fly it. So it’s to show them that and also show the parents. It’s been really great. Companies have been very receptive to supporting this.”

The event started – and got its name — when Waske was thinking about a way to use the money from a sale of a friend’s model aviation things after the friend’s passing.

“My flying buddy, Mark Radcliff, who is the vice president of District III (of the Academy of Model Aeronautics), got a phone call from a guy in New York saying, ‘Hey, do you know who Carl Hopkins was?’ We looked it up. He’s in the Academy of Model Aeronautics Hall of Fame.

“In 1928, he started the first model airplane club. He said the future of aerospace is with our youth. Little did he know then that those kids would fight in World War II for us. They called them ‘Carl’s Boys’

“Unfortunately, he passed away in the 1950s..but we thought, wow, what a great way to name it. As it turns out, his two daughters were still living and in their 90s. So the first year or two, we had both of them. It was really neat.”

Friday will be devoted to field trips from local schools experiencing free flight, control line, remote control, drones and rockets from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

“As soon as we mentioned it, we had it filled before we even advertised it,” Waske said. “We’ve got 250 kids coming. There will be groups of 20 or 25 at each station. All  five disciplines are going to have a station. After 20 minutes, you rotate to the next group. We’ll give them a bag to take home to show their parents and encourage them to come back the next day.”

The Expo will run at the same time as the Almost Heaven Lego Bash at The Bridge. The Expo is free, while the Bash has a $10 entry fee.

“The basketball courts at The Bridge will be all Legos and hands-on and we’ll be upstairs and outside,” Waske said.

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