Aerium Summit to advance traditional aviation, drone education

JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – The second Aerium Summit later this month will help show how the Johnstown-based aviation education nonprofit Aerium is becoming a hub of services in the state, organizers said.

“This year, we are more mature as an organization,” Aerium spokesman Matt Crocco said. “We are trying to become that organization that connects available stakeholders and helps bring curriculum to schools across the commonwealth.”

The three-day Aerium Summit is scheduled for May 28-30 at John Murtha Johnstown-Cambria County Airport, with displays, demonstrations and hands-on interaction for both traditional aircraft and drones.

Dozens of aviation experts, government officials, industry leaders, drone manufacturers and aircraft equipment suppliers are scheduled to speak during 10 break-out sessions. The wide spectrum of subjects includes “Drones in Agriculture,” “How Workforce Elevates the Aviation Community,” “Drone Ready Community: What Does That Mean?” and “The Aviation Story: How Aviation & Aerospace Professionals Got There.”

“Aerium’s summit serves as a vital platform where educational leaders and aviation industry experts converge to advance aviation education and forge significant connections,” Aerium Chairman Larry Nulton said.

The event will play a crucial role in integrating aviation curriculums into high schools, providing students with opportunities for college credits, and establishing seamless agreements between high schools and post-secondary institutions, organizers said.

The event will also launch an opportunity for businesses to support the aviation education campaign and get back 90% of their donations in reduced state income tax, Crocco said.

Friends of Education, a national program to encourage support for education, has instituted the program, Director Jed Silverman said.

“For every $100 they donate to Friends, they pay 90% less in state income tax,” Silverman said. “Some businesses can deduct it from their federal income tax like a charity.”

Silverman will officially introduce the tax credit opportunity during the May 28 opening session, which also features speakers Nulton; Cambria County President Commissioner Scott Hunt; state Sen. Wayne Langerholc Jr., R-Richland Township; Southern Columbia High School student Landon Ferrara; and Central Columbia High School student Nadia Camblin.

Carol “Annie” Petsonk, assistant secretary for aviation and international affairs with the U.S. Department of Transportation, will be the keynote speaker during the closing general session at 2:30 p.m. May 30.

A recognized expert on international aviation and climate change, she has previously served the federal government in the Office of the United States Trade Representative in the Executive Office of the President and the Department of Justice. Career highlights also include a stint as the United Nations’ international counsel for the Environmental Defense Fund.

While much of the summit is focused on the business of the general sessions and break-out sessions, there will be plenty to see and experience.

For additional fees, instructors from Nulton Aviation Flight Academy will be available to take would-be students or others on 20-minute discovery flights or let them try their flying skills in a flight simulator. Both experiences are abbreviated versions of what new students experience as they decide to enter the flight school, instructor Cam Young said.

Young qualified as an instructor earlier this year as a way to build flight hours toward his goal of 1,500 hours required to earn an Aircraft Transport Pilot certificate and launch a career in either corporate aviation or with an airline.

As of Thursday, Young has logged 310 hours at the controls.

An immersive lab and demonstration area will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 29 and 30 with the latest in education and drone technology.

Admission is $300 for the entire summit or $150 a day. Student admission is free.

More information is available at aerium.org/2024-summit-overview.