The Community Times Dispatch

Beaufort Head Start program visits Walterboro airport to study transportation

The pitter patter of little many little feet marched in sync to flight line of the Lowcountry Regional Airport on Tuesday afternoon for a close eye view of air transportation.

Commander Cleveland Gore, Walterboro Composite Squadron Civil Air Patrol was on hand to provide a grand tour of the airport and expose the tots to an experience into aerospace education.

“These young people are very fortunate today,” said Gore. They actually got to see a couple of Lear jets in action. The pilots worked well with them. They started up the engines slowly, went through their maneuvers, and checked their controls…this is an experience they will never forget.”

According to Tonya Wilson, Head Start site director and lead teacher, two classes of students from the Head Start program that is housed at Davis Elementary in Beaufort, South Carolina ventured to Colleton to explore things that go.

“We have been learning about transportation this month,” said Wilson. We have been introducing them to a lot of things that go. We are exposing them to more than things that just go on the ground, but also things that go up in the air.”

Gore said many of the young girls were excited to see a female pilot flying one of the Lear jets. The students went along the taxiway and had an opportunity to see how the Lear Jet landed. When the jet rode pass, the students waved at the flight crew and the flight crew waved back to them.

“They got to see a plane in person coming right pass them, they were able to smell the jet fuel and feel the heat from the jet engine,” said Gore. These kids will never forget today.”

Teachers, Tony Wilson and Yolanda Allen, brought 37 pre-school students along with two other teachers that work in the classroom and several parents. Wilson said she believes the children really enjoyed watching to planes take-off and land.

Gore gave each of the young students an opportunity to sit in the captain’s chair and handle the controls of the unit’s Cessna 150. Hot dogs, donuts, and fruit juice was provided to them for lunch.