Southern California Soaring Academy

Our accomplishments for 2022 include:- Warriors SOAR, our monthly private fly-day plus lunch, for veterans dealing with ptsd and other challenges continued to be a beacon of hope. During 2022 we partnered with West LA VA, Loma Linda VA, Long Beach VA, and Higher Ground USA. The peace and adrenaline rush from soaring without an engine, leaves veterans with a sense of happiness that for many seemed unattainable until this flight. Izzy, former Army, Seeing things from up there at that vantage point helped me understand that my problems as I previously saw them are not so big! Im so appreciative of this experience. I feel better, I feel like a better person A greatmental therapy and I felt a whole bunch of gratitude Over 170+ veterans participated in 2022.- Glider-STEM, Our outreach to teens: In 2022 we partnered with a STEM magnet school in Los Angeles where 6th-8th grade STEM teachers taught a six week aeronautics course focused on gliders. We brought a Glider and five instructors to their campus for a full day of learning. Students enhanced their understanding, by learning from our instructors (including a retired 747 airline captain) about how the controls of the aircraft work, and getting a chance to sit in the glider. This laid the groundwork for their class fly day at our field and more. 30+ at risk teens from the Junior-Cadet program at the LAPD flew with us during their group-fly-day in March 2022 (after they participated in an aviation workshop we held at Whiteman Airport inLos Angeles a few months prior). We hosted Scouting groups, Explorer groups and a 4-H group for field trips/demonstrations, learning about aeronautics, and career paths as well as getting to take the controls up in the air and log their first flight instruction