Ohio Air & Space Hall of Fame and Learning Center helps bring family-friendly education activities to the 2023 Columbus Air Show presented by Scotts

 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Ohio Air & Space Hall of Fame and Learning Center helps bring family-friendly education activities to the 2023 Columbus Air Show presented by Scotts

(COLUMBUS, OHIO – June 6, 2023) The non-profit Ohio Air & Space Hall of Fame and Learning Center (OAS) is proud to serve in the 2023 Columbus Air Show presented by Scotts as co-coordinator of the show’s Experience STEM & Aviation area, presented by NetJets and FlightSafety International. The Columbus Air Show takes place June 16-18 at Rickenbacker International Airport and features the U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels jet demonstration team among other performers and aircraft displays. OAS will be among fifteen aviation non-profit organizations, companies, and collegiate programs offering family friendly, hands-on STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) activities over the three-day show. 

The educational programs, exhibits, and flight simulators in and around the 40’ by 60’ Experience STEM & Aviation tent will be augmented by the display of several general aviation aircraft. The OAS exhibit will highlight several Ohio pioneers of aviation such as John Glenn, Jerrie Mock, and Eddie Rickenbacker, for whom the host airport, formerly Lockbourne Army Air Base, was re-named in 1974, and the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) and Tuskegee Airmen, both of which trailblazing groups were assigned to Lockbourne during and after WWII.  OAS will also promote its capital campaign to renovate the original 1929 Port Columbus Air Terminal, located at John Glenn International Airport, into a permanent home for its educational exhibits and youth development programs.

Further, several OAS trustees, in their capacity serving leadership roles in local youth education non-profits, will be among the volunteers engaging visitors in the Experience STEM & Aviation activities. Those trustees are:

• Chris Axene, CPA and Partner at Rea and Associates - Serving as a Major with the Ohio Wing Group VIII of the Civil Air Patrol (CAP), whose cadets will display a Cessna 182 CAP aircraft and host an activity booth.
• Tim Beach, a 40-year plus law enforcement veteran and pilot with general aviation and law enforcement flying experience. He is the Executive Operations Chair of Youth Aviation Adventure (YAA), and along with OAS trustee Rick Ochs, CEO of Spirit of Aeronautics, will lead YAA activities.
• John Mitchell, a retired Captain from both the U.S. Air Force and American Airlines, is Past President of the Ohio Tuskegee Airmen Association and will assist at their air show tent, as well as assisting at the Buckeye Tigers A.C.E. Academy and YAA displays.
• Christine Mortine, a Certified Flight Instructor and FAA Designated Pilot Examiner is coordinating the education activities at the 99’s Scioto Valley Chapter booth.
• Andrew Pierce, a Lt. Colonel in the Air Force Reserves and Delta Air Lines First Officer is the current Director of the Buckeye Tigers A.C.E. Academy and will be at its hands-on activities table.

The Experience STEM & Aviation area is presented at the Columbus Air Show by NetJets and FlightSafety International (FSI). Both companies are early corporate supporters of the OAS capital campaign currently underway.  The FSI Experience STEM & Aviation visitor activities include a flight training simulator identical to those being donated by FSI to OAS.  Other participating organizations include Girls in Science and Technology, COSI, Ohio State, Kent State, Columbus State, Cincinnati State, Sinclair Community College, Lift Academy, FAA, and the Central Ohio Professional Aviation Maintenance Association.  

The Experience STEM & Aviation presenting organizations were co-coordinated in collaboration with the air show by Ron Kaplan, OAS Executive Director; Brian Strzempkowski, Interim Director, Center for Aviation Studies at The Ohio State University; and Paul Gillenwater, Aviation Safety Inspector, Federal Aviation Administration Columbus Office.

For more information about the Ohio Air & Space Hall of Fame and Learning Center, visit www.OhioAirandSpace.org. For more information on the Columbus Air Show presented by Scotts, visit www.ColumbusAirshow.com.

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About The Ohio Air & Space Hall of Fame and Learning Center:

The Ohio Air & Space Hall of Fame and Learning Center (OAS) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to permanently preserving the inspiring legacies of this state’s pioneers of flight, and prominently heralding their achievements as both a point of pride and to foster a skilled workforce in support of Ohio’s continued leadership in aerospace and technology.   The OAS will also highlight the rich history of Ohio’s aviation and aerospace industries, and its airports, including that of the future home of the OAS in the original 1929 Port Columbus Air Terminal, located at John Glenn International Airport (KCMH) in Columbus, Ohio.

Media Contact:

Ron Kaplan, Executive Director

Ohio Air & Space Hall of Fame and Learning Center

C: (937) 212-8847

RonKaplan@OhioAirandSpace.org