Lewis University Aviation Summer Camp

Lewis University is offering high school students who are interested in aviation the experience of piloting a small aircraft, training in a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approved-flight simulator and viewing the inner workings of O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, among other activities during the Lewis University Aviation Summer Camp.  The camp will begin at 10 a.m. on June 20 and conclude at 1 p.m. on June 24. 

Aviation history, meteorology and flight theory are a few of the topics Lewis professors plan to discuss during the camp. Participants will also have access to the Lewis fleet of 25 airplanes; also experiencing air travel with a flight instructor. Another highlight of the camp’s itinerary includes a trip to O’Hare International Airport to experience how one of the nation’s busiest airports operates. A guided bus tour of the airfield and discussion with Chicago Department of Aviation staff in the communications center will offer a behind-the-scenes perspective.

Some of Lewis’ more than 200 aviation majors, who are future flight instructors, are set to be chaperones for the week. Bill Brogan, chair of Aviation and Transportation Studies and Associate Professor of Aviation, commented, “Kids can sometimes have a different outlook and get different information from their peers, someone closer to their age.”

Brogan said he hopes the camp will convey “a real love and interest in aviation.” The 1993 Lewis alumnus previously served as Assistant Commissioner for the City of Chicago’s Department of Aviation, Airport Operations Supervisor for O’Hare International Airport, Chief Airport Operations Supervisor for Midway International Airport and Airport Manager of Merrill C. Meigs Field.

Lewis’s Department of Aviation and Transportation Studies offers four undergraduate degrees in administration, flight, maintenance and security. The master’s degree in aviation and transportation and bachelor’s degree in aviation security were developed to meet industry needs after the Sept. 11 tragedy.

      For more than 75 years, Lewis has been instructing young people on aviation and has alumni serving in aviation around the globe. Lewis had one of the first programs in the nation to offer practice in flight simulators and is one of the few Illinois universities designated with a FAA Air Traffic Collegiate Training Initiative (CTI) program. The program, launched in fall 2008, classifies Lewis as a partner and gives hiring preferences to its graduates.

The fee of $1,250 for the week includes the cost of camp activities as well as room and board on the Romeoville campus.  For more information, please contact Bill Brogan at (815) 836-5438.
      Lewis University is a Catholic university offering distinctive undergraduate and graduate programs to more than 6,000 traditional and adult students. Lewis offers multiple campus locations, online degree programs, and a variety of formats that provide accessibility and convenience to a growing student population. Sponsored by the De La Salle Christian Brothers, Lewis prepares ethically grounded, globally aware, and socially responsible graduates. The ninth largest private not-for-profit university in Illinois, Lewis has been nationally recognized by The Princeton Review and U.S. News & World Report. Visit http://www.lewisu.edu for more information.