Belize’s First Aviation Camp of 25 Kids Takes Flight

Inside Tropic Air’s bustling hangar at the Sir Barry Bowen Municipal Airport, twenty-five young and aspiring pilots, engineers, air traffic controllers and aviation technicians explored the inner workings of an industry that many had only experienced as airline passengers. The visit formed part of Belize’s first-ever STEM Aviation Camp, a weeklong initiative designed to show young Belizeans that aviation offers far more than a seat in the cockpit.

They are the first cohort of Belize’s inaugural STEM Aviation Camp organised by the STEMU Foundation in partnership with Saint Catherine Academy, Deep Blue Avionics, Tropic Air, the Belize Defence Force (BDF) Air Wing and the Belize Civil Aviation Authority.

Jamie Usher, Vice-Principal of Student Affairs at Saint Catherine Academy and President of the Belize Robotics Federation, said the camp was created to make science, technology, engineering and mathematics come alive through real-world experiences.

“As an educator and a STEM career-orientated female, we are excited to present this kind of opportunity where these real-life experiences really connect science, technology, engineering, and math, in addition to teamwork and problem-solving; it really makes everything come alive,” she said.

Interest exceeded expectations. Twenty-five children are travelling daily from Belize City, Belmopan, Orange Walk and Corozal to take part in the programme.

After spending the first two days learning aviation theory, vocabulary and the phonetic alphabet, participants moved into the field, visiting the municipal airport before scheduled tours of the BDF Air Wing and the Civil Aviation Department at the Philip S.W. Goldson International Airport.

Usher said that participants have already been introduced to at least eight different career paths, including aircraft engineering, mechanics, airport firefighting, flight operations and support services.

The idea behind the programme came from the STEMU Foundation, a Belize and United States-based non-profit founded in 2023 to expand access to STEM education. Founder Jarrus Mitchell said aviation was a natural next step.

“We decided to start this aviation camp this year. It’s the first annual STEM aviation camp,” Mitchell said. “To give kids an experience that will expose them to different career paths in aviation… Our goal here in Belize is to sponsor camps and vocational training and professional development around engineering, agriculture, healthcare and IT.”

For many of the students, the experience has already challenged long-held assumptions and reshaped what they think is possible.

“I learned that there are boys and girls who are pilots,” said participant Damariel Aguilar after meeting aviation engineer Terry Folsom from Deep Blue Avionics. “Miss Terry from Deep Blue Avionics taught me that not only boys but also women can be pilots and engineers like her.”

Another camper, Abigail Rivero, said the programme helps children make informed decisions about their futures. She said, “This summer camp can expose children to other fields so when they choose their career choice, they will have experienced almost everything so they don’t feel like they’ve missed out on anything at all.”

Meanwhile, participant Skye Williams walked away with a lesson in physics. “I learned about the four forces of a plane: drag, thrust, and lift,” he said.

For Yuvan Lalwani, the lessons were more technical, picking up on a phonetic alphabet. “Y for Yankee, A for Alpha, B for Bravo” Lalwani said, adding a new skill to go with it. “I’ve learned how to calculate speed, and now I know how long until my trip is over,” he said.

By Friday, the camp will have taken them from theory in a classroom to the flight line at Philip Goldson International Airport.