Youngsters learn about aviation at Griffin Museum of Science and Industry's Bessie Coleman Flight School
With youngsters off from school this Presidents' Day, Chicago's Griffin Museum of Science and Industry learned about the science of flight at Bessie Coleman Flight School.
The program for students in fourth through eighth grade is part of the Griffin MSI's Curiosity Day Camp program.
The flight school program honors the legacy of Bessie Coleman, the first Black female pilot in American history. Born in Texas in 1892, Coleman moved to Chicago at 23, and then to Paris to study aviation. She became the first American woman of any race or ethnicity to earn an international flight license in 1921.
Coleman was known for her daring stunt tricks in the air.
The camp teaches youngsters about the basics of aerospace engineering — with 360-degree flight simulators, origami airplanes, and gliders that the kids can build and make do stunts.
Bessie Coleman Flight School will be offered again at the Griffin MSI on Monday, March 2, when some kids will be off for the Pulaski Day holiday.
The program runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. both days, at a cost of $100 per camper, or $90 if the camper's parents are Griffin MSI members. A snack and beverage are provided, but the kids will need to bring their own lunches.
