High School
Students Focused
on Oshkosh Trip
Seventeen of the students at he Wathen Aviation High School set their sights on EAA
AirVenture Oshkosh this year. Dubbing
themselves, “The Aviators,” they came
up with the plan on their own, without
any input from faculty or parents, then
quickly overcame one of the major
obstacles when Oshkosh’s EAA Chapter
252 volunteered sleeping bags, tents,
and camping space for Camp Scholler.
Also part of the plan: become
AirVenture volunteers so they could
get two daily meals at the Volunteer
Center. Bake sales, car washes, and
other activities were to cover the third
meal and airfare. A teacher and five
parents planned to accompany them
to Oshkosh.
“We have an unusual opportunity with the Wathen Aviation High
School,” said student Victoria Hurtado,
who came up with the idea. “Since our
school is located on an airport, we get
to watch airplanes land and take off
every day. It has instilled a fascination
with aviation in all of us. AirVenture
will give us an opportunity to expand
our love of flying and our knowledge
of airplanes.”
All 17 members of The Aviators
are committed to careers in aviation
and “consider Oshkosh essential to
our education.”
Wathen Aviation High School is a
free public charter school located on
historic Flabob Airport in Riverside,
California. Flabob is owned by the
Thomas Wathen Foundation, which
is devoted to education through aviation, and which furnishes facilities
and support to the operator of the
high school.
