122nd Fighter Wing hosts Eyes Above the Horizon event

FORT WAYNE AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Ind. (Apr. 19, 2019) –A free food, fun and flying information and simulation event, aimed at generating interest into the world of aviation, took place on April 19, 2019, at the 122nd Fighter Wing, Indiana Air National Guard, Fort Wayne, Ind.

The 2019 Eyes Above the Horizon event and the Like You / Like Me initiative gave approximately 75 students, grades 9 through 12, the opportunity to learn from various professionals from across the aerospace industry and to participate in hands-on activities that encouraged teambuilding, critical thinking and teamwork.

“With the 122nd Fighter Wing’s Like You / Like Me campaign, we wanted to bring a diverse group of people together to find out who we are and what we do,“ said, Maj. Jennifer-Ruth Green, founder and director of MissionAero Pipeline.

Green was inspired to be come a civilian pilot because of the words of Lt. Col. Lee A. Archer Jr., original World War II Tuskegee Airman fighter pilot who said, “If you don’t stand on our shoulders, who will?” 

“Because the Tuskegee Airmen provided great character amongst great persecution, I became a pilot,” said Green. “Aviation is an equalizer."

The Legacy Flight Academy and the MissionAero Pipeline non-profit organizations gave students from the Fort Wayne, Gary and Indianapolis areas a chance to experience an A-10C Thunderbolt II flight simulator, watch up-close maintenance demonstrations and learn about the various career fields the Indiana Army and Air National Guard have to offer.