Madison Elementary Students Learn About Planes, Flying and Aviation at Greeley-Weld County Airport

Jun. 28—Madison Elementary fourth graders Idaly Chavira and Lesly Jimenez Cabrera said they don't have dreams of flying planes or working in aviation.

But, the Greeley students and their school mates now know a career in aviation is an option for them after a Monday summer-school field trip.

Approximately 130 Madison students spent part of their day at the Greeley Weld County Airport learning more about flying, planes and aviation with the highlight being a look at a couple of World War II training aircraft.

The planes are both nearly 80 years old and they were brought to Greeley through a Dallas-based nonprofit dedicated to education, inspiration and honoring of the legacy of World War II-era aircraft.

One of planes open to the students was an SNB-5 aircraft built in 1943 and the other was an SNJ-5 built in 1944.

The students had a chance to climb up and get a look in the planes. They sat inside the silver SNB-5 while one of their teachers and Madison principal Steve Isenhour were among those treated to a ride later in the morning.

Chavira and Jimenez Cabrera were impressed.

"It's a good plane because it's lasted for a long time," said Chavira, who is 11 years old.

The Madison students, in kindergarten through fifth grades, visited the planes and the airport through an arrangement made between fifth grade teacher Angie Mueller and her brother, Dan Bishop.

Bishop, who is employed by United Airlines at Denver International Airport, is a member of the Mile High Wing of Commemorative Air Force. The Commemorative Air Force, the nonprofit, owns more than 160 different kinds of flyable planes from World War II including the SNB-5 on display for the Madison students and staff.

"It's cool because it still works," said 10-year-old Jimenez Cabrera.

The Mile High Wing is the Colorado unit of the CAF, and it's based at Rocky Mountain Metro Airport in Broomfield.

A couple of years ago, the Madison students and teachers made the trip to Broomfield to see older planes and learn about the aviation industry. This year, the CAF brought the planes to Weld County.

"It was amazing," Madison principal Isenhour said of the flight in the SNB-5. "The guys are the salt-of-the-earth to do this for the kids."

The yellow SNJ-5 dates to 1944 and is privately owned by Aurora resident Don Nelson. Nelson flies the plane in airshows where he met members of the Commemorative Air Force Mile High Wing.

Bishop, who has more than three decades of experience in aviation, said the reason for the Commemorative Air Force to reach out and engage with students and other groups is "to keep history alive."

"We need to remember what happened or it tends to happen again," he added, referring to World War II.

The other key part of the students' visit to the airport was to give them a look at the aviation industry. Mueller said Madison is a Title 1 school, meaning it receives federal funds to provide financial assistance to schools with high numbers or high percentages of students from low-income families, according to the U.S. Department of Education.

Not all of the Madison students or their families might have a chance to take a trip on an airplane. Seeing the planes and visiting the airport allows them to have a new and maybe an unfamiliar experience.

"It's a different opportunity," Mueller said. "If they want to do something around an airplane, there are a lot of opportunities. If this interests them, they can make a career out of it. Sometimes our kids don't see their opportunities."

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