Supporting the Virgin Islands Chapter Tuskegee Airmen, Inc.
Bohlke is proud to support the Virgin Islands Chapter Tuskegee Airmen, Inc. (VICTAI) in their mission to motivate young people to pursue careers in the field of aviation; to spark their imagination and provide them with real-world opportunities that engages in actual flight training; provide field trips, travel opportunities and presentations by aviation professionals; and to provide career guidance from elementary through high school that will ultimately lead to aviation-related post-secondary education, employment and occupations.
The Virgin Islands Chapter Tuskegee Airmen, Inc. (VICTAI) has served as the Career & Technical Student Organization (CTSO) for the St. Croix Career & Technical Education Center (CTEC) Aviation Technology Program since its inception of the new program in 2014. Each summer, in collaboration with the Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals (OBAP) and Tuskegee Airmen, Inc. (TAI), students are provided with opportunities to attend in-person on and off-island training programs and field trips presented by aviation professionals in various fields.
These Aerospace Career Education (ACE) Academies, co-sponsored by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and various other host organizations, are designed to expose elementary, middle and high school students to a wide range of aviation career exploration experiences and also focuses on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). ACE academies reach 1,500–2,000 students each summer.
Students are also exposed to the following activities:
- The role of government in aviation
- Lessons in flight planning, aviation history, and the physics of flight
- Fundamentals of aerodynamics
- Instruction on aircraft design and maintenance
- Flight simulations and, in some locations, flights in an aircraft
During the summer of 2023, 16 USVI youth traveled to St. Thomas, Virgin Islands; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Phoenix, Arizona; and Memphis, Tennessee for the ACE and Solo Flight Academies.
As part of our new FBO grand opening, Bohlke donated $10 in honor of every person who attended the celebration to the VICTAI Youth Aviation Club (VYAC). The VICTAI VYAC used the funds to send 16 USVI youth to St. Thomas, Virgin Islands; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Phoenix, Arizona; and Memphis, Tennessee for the ACE and Solo Flight Academies.
Jayden Barry (St. Croix Educational Complex Student) at the OBAP ACE Academy – Phoenix, Arizona (June 2023)
Students from St. Croix Central High School,
St. Croix Educational Complex/St. Croix Career & Technical Education Center, and John H. Woodson JHS arrive at the OBAP ACE Academy in San Juan, Puerto Rico held June 19 – 23, 2023.
Learn more about VICTAI VYAC’s Mission and how to make your child’s dream of an aviation career come true.
