WinnAero Helps Youth of New Hampshire Soar to New Heights

In just over a year, the Aviation & Aerospace Education Center at Winnipesaukee (WinnAero), located at Laconia Airport in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire, has blossomed from being one man’s idea into a well-organized and progressive 501(c)3 non-profit organization.

WinnAero is the brainchild of local resident, Bill Seed, a retired attorney and self-starter who became entranced with the Iowa Children’s Museum exhibit, “Take Flight,” which spotlights the science of aviation. Back home in the Lakes Region, Seed is a businessman and a long-time pilot who flies out of Laconia Airport, a well-maintained airport situated in central New Hampshire on the picturesque shores of Lake Winnipesaukee.

Never being able to forget that exhibit in Iowa, he rounded up some of the best educators and most talented pilots in the area and then approached Laconia Airport Manager, Diane Cooper, with an idea.  What Seed had in mind was to not only create an aviation museum at the airport, but offer educational programs and experiences for the area’s youth to foster interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) through aeronautics and aerospace.

Cooper fully supported the idea as did the Laconia Airport Authority, the governing organization of the airport. She has worked closely with WinnAero, is a director and actively participates in the organization’s programs and events.

“The Laconia Airport takes its role in the community very seriously,” Cooper said. “Educating the public about aviation is part of the mission of the airport. We want to educate all age groups about aviation and encourage children who are interested in careers in aviation and aerospace to pursue their dreams.”

The board of directors, besides Cooper and Seed, consists of individuals with impressive resumes, including current and retired teachers, two retired Air Force pilots and one retired commercial airline Captain.

This dynamic group has wasted no time in carrying out the mission of the organization. Last summer WinnAero worked with the Federal Aviation Administration to host its first ACE Academy, complete with scholarships for qualified students. The aviation course was well-attended and so popular that it will be returning to the airport this summer.

Although creating more partnerships remains a goal, Seed’s vision for a children’s aviation-themed museum continues to inch closer to becoming a reality. An outline for the proposed museum, “Children’s Dreams of Flight Museum” and a “Take Flight Resource Center” for older youth is now in place. The outline also includes comprehensive educational elements for children as young as toddlers through young men and women preparing for college and beyond.

In keeping with the aviation theme, the organization is now raffling a Cessna Skyhawk (see image below) as its first major fund raiser. Tickets cost $50 and will be available until September 29, 2012, when the lucky winner of the aircraft will be chosen. The winner will also receive $1,200 to use for flight training, fuel or winner’s choice.

There is no doubt that WinnAero is on the cutting edge of STEM and aviation education. The organization’s leaders are modest about what they do; however, they are aware that the work being done will contribute to the development of tomorrow’s aviators, mathematicians, engineers and scientists.

For more information about the Aviation & Aerospace Education Center at Winnipesaukee, visit www.winnaero.org or contact Bill Seed.