For one week this summer, a group of aspiring aviators traded the classroom for airport ramps, flight simulators, physics lessons, and behind-the-scenes tours of the aviation industry. The Lawrence Summer Aviation Camp gave students an opportunity to explore what a future in aviation could look like, not just from the cockpit, but across the many careers that keep the industry moving.
For many campers, the experience broadened their understanding of aviation in ways they hadn’t expected.
“I thought when I was first going into it, it was just going to be about being a pilot, but it really isn’t,” said Tess Weber of Neenah. “It gives you a view of the whole industry, and you get to see a lot of different things.”
Throughout the week, students visited Gulfstream, explored Fox Valley Technical College’s aviation facilities, toured the airport, experienced flight simulators, and learned foundational concepts ranging from navigation to physics. Rather than focusing on a single career path, each day introduced students to another piece of the aviation ecosystem.
For Camila Ruiz, who traveled from Nicaragua to attend the camp, that variety stood out immediately.
“This Lawrence Aviation Summer Camp is different than others because it has a specific focus each day in a different aviation center,” she said. “We visited Gulfstream, we visited Fox Valley Technical College, where we did flight simulators, and now we’re at Lawrence for physics classes.”
The hands-on approach left a lasting impression on students.
Ruiz said one of her favorite experiences was learning how to perform a pre-flight inspection.
“The pre-checks were the most awesome thing that I could have done in the entire summer camp,” she said. “Before a flight, we need to check the plane—the fuel, the flaps, the wheels—so we can depart on time.”
Weber also appreciated that lessons didn’t stop with lectures.
“It’s more hands-on,” she said. “Everything you learn, you get to do it yourself.”
For Carter Wittlin of Greenville, the week reinforced a passion that has been growing for years.
“I’ve always been interested in airplanes,” he said. “When we would fly somewhere, I’d always be looking at the planes. Then I went to Hawaii, we got to see bigger planes, and I was like, ‘Yeah, this is what I want to do.’”
One of his favorite experiences was touring Gulfstream and seeing private aircraft up close, but he said the camp also opened his eyes to everything that happens beyond flying the airplane.
“Seeing all the stuff that goes on behind the scenes, not just piloting, but the airport, the gates, all the stuff that goes into it,” he said, “really helped me understand what goes into becoming a pilot.”
For Pilot Peppler of Hortonville, the personalized instruction helped transform challenging concepts into lasting knowledge.
“We were learning about the navigation systems, and I didn’t get it at first,” he said. “But then we went over it again, and I got it down and now I’ve got it down for the rest of my aviation career, probably.”
Peppler also believes the experience provides students with an early advantage.
“It gives you a first step, and maybe you’re a step ahead of other people,” he said.
Beyond the technical skills, campers repeatedly pointed to something less tangible: confidence. By the end of the week, aviation felt more accessible because they had experienced it firsthand, asked questions of industry professionals, and discovered careers they hadn’t previously considered.
“The most important thing is that you understand and not just learn,” Ruiz said. “You understand what you are learning.”
That sentiment echoed throughout the week. Whether students arrived with dreams of becoming pilots or simply a curiosity about aviation, they left with a broader perspective on the industry, and a clearer picture of where their own interests might take them.
