Sandra, one of our Ground School instructors had the joy of offering Tsering Skeele, a visitor from Tibet, his very first flight in a small airplane. Tsering has grown up in Nepal, adopted by an American mother, who is an entrepreneur. He will be leaving America soon to spend three years in the Peace Corps working in Senegal. So wonderful to fly and connect with our friends on the ground and in the air. Thank you, Sandra, for your skills in action, and Tsering, for visiting and enriching our world with your presence and fascinating stories!  ​

Recently, Sugar Valley hosted a "Friends" gathering, celebrating CommUnity and the lighting of the "Unity Blaze", led by Black Folks Camp Too (BFCT) founder Earl B. Hunter and friends.

As Earl shared, "The Unity Blaze is the campfire symbol in the middle of our Black Folks Camp Too logo, and it means 'Treat Everyone Everywhere Equally.' Your race, age or gender does not matter. We ALL have something to say!" 

There is a lot to the story behind BFCT and you will likely find it very rewarding to take time to explore their website and see more of what, how and why they do what they do.
 
Here is a little glimpse at what took place that evening.

Enjoy the images and then read on for a few of the comments from folks who took part in the event:
 
“Looking out at everyone visiting and connecting and with the Unity Blaze – all looked Golden – as in a dream.
Celebration, Joy, Unity, (and S’mores 😉)….”
 
“This is so beautiful and magical. My heart is so full and beating gratefully!”
 
“An evening of respectful relations at work on the part of everyone present. So grateful to have met Earl and to be part of what he is doing for inclusiveness and equality.”
 
We are honored and delighted to extend our wholehearted support to BFCT and to contribute to an emerging sense of joyful togetherness!
 
From Earl:
“The event was FANTASTIC! I am very grateful and humbled by the genuine LOVE displayed by all. 
 
The invite was key but the welcome was out of sight! I met a ton of folks who gathered for a Night of Unity, and my heart is full because of such! 
 
While driving home, I felt a sense of “togetherness” as I looked in my rear-view mirror to see the awesome hand-crafted Unity Blaze symbol sitting between my children. 
 
Again, thank you to EVERYONE! We are certainly better together! 
 
While we remove generational fear, add knowledge and invite “more” Black folks to camp, and enjoy the outdoor lifestyle with any and everyone. We also promote Unity in the outdoors and beyond!"

We are very grateful to all who joined us and made this experience real on many levels!
​

Hello, friends!
​
If you've been or flown to Sugar Valley in the last couple of months, you may have noticed a new, rebuilt T-hangar, with a bright red roof - a sure landmark for pilots.

We want to thank Kirk Clearly with Clearly's Construction LLC for a fantastic job in breathing new life into the old T-hangar. We have greatly appreciated working with Kirk and his dynamic team! 
​
And here is a little glimpse into the transformation journey, captured by our photographers Deborah Leighton and Aaron Lobb. Enjoy!

Our new crop of Aviation Ground School students is here! Congratulations to all the participants, completing their study  on 1/17/2020! Well wishes to all of you! May success, a sense of adventure and discovery accompany you in your future aviation endeavors!
A special thanks goes to the instructors Sandra Smith and Lee Kosub, who freely share their knowledge, skills and time.

SVA Aviation Ground School is a free training offered twice a year by our amazing volunteers. The next session begins on March 6, 2020. Sign up if you'd like to take advantage of this opportunity and spread the word. Learn more here.

We, volunteers are Sugar Valley Airport, are grateful to have some wonderful neighbors and partners. One of such connections is our friends at Piedmont Soaring Society (PSS), located just about a 10 minute drive from SVA. 

Mid October the volunteers of PSS have generously treated SVA volunteers to a beautiful day of soaring fun, genuine camaraderie, delicious picnic food and loads of inspiration. We all had a delightful time, and would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to PSS!  

PSS is also volunteer run and provides tows and instructional flights to its members, as well as  introductory rides to guests and potential new members in their two-seat sailplanes.

Take a look at some photos from our soaring adventure! 

And now enjoy this video capturing some of the magical moments.

​Congratulations to our Aviation Ground School graduating class of 9/6/2019! We wish all of you much success in your future aviation endeavors!
A special thanks goes to the instructors Sandra Smith and Lee Kosub, who freely share their knowledge, skills and time.

SVA Aviation Ground School is a free training offered twice a year by our amazing volunteers. The next session begins on October 18, 2019. Sign up if you'd like to take advantage of this opportunity and spread the word. Learn more here.

Many of us know Sandra Smith — the SVA Aviation Ground School instructor, CAP Sugar Valley Composite Squadron and Young Eagle pilot, from among many other roles we may know and recognize her. Recently Sandra was awarded by The Ninety-Nines International an Amelia Earhart Memorial Scholarship, specifically the Vicki Cruse Memorial Scholarship for Emergency Maneuver Training. Only one such scholarship is awarded each year to those who apply out of the more than 5,000 members worldwide. The course covers not only “upset recovery,” but also spin training and an introduction to aerobatics, the purpose of which is to enhance piloting skills and safe operations.  

Sandra represents a beautiful example of focus, dedication and persistence, and we are proud to know and have her on our team of volunteers who make Sugar Valley such a flourishing place.

Audrey Floyd (Scholarship Chairman of the Kitty Hawk Chapter of The Ninety-Nines) expressed it this way:  We all know about Sandra’s service and dedication to the 99s, and she is also very committed to promoting aviation to the community in general.  Her hard work and sacrifice has made her extremely deserving of this award.  Please join me in congratulating her on this prestigious award!

​We are indeed joining in celebration of this meaningful accomplishment. Sandra will be an amazing ambassador for women in aviation and as a representative for The Ninety-Nines. There could not be a more lovely ambassador! Congratulations, Sandra!

Here is another group of happy students who completed private pilot ground school on 1/25/19. Congratulations to all the participants and a special thanks to the instructors Sandra Smith and Lee Kosub, who generously share their knowledge, skills and time. SVA Aviation Ground School is a free training offered twice a year by our amazing volunteers. The next session begins on May 24, 2019. Sign up if you'd like to take advantage of this opportunity and spread the word. Learn more here.

Look at all these bright faces! They sure do have a reason to shine, as they've just completed the spring course of our free aviation ground school. Next session begins in October! Find more info here.

​One of SVA friends, Steve Fritts, has offered 3 wonderful classes to some children (and a few adults 😊). The first class was about building a toy airplane, followed by a class in which they worked on constructing a radio.   In a recent class, the theme was electricity and magnetism.  
 
Since early childhood, Steve has been fascinated with “how things work.” What he wasn’t able to learn about electricity tinkering in the family’s garage, he made up for by joining 4-H where he discovered many opportunities to learn more.  This only increased his interest in all things electric.   After his service in the Air Force, Steve became involved in a career as an A&P (Airframe and Powerplant mechanic) in the aviation industry with a focus on avionics.  Steve is now retired and owns and flies his Cessna 140 at every opportunity.   A gifted and enthusiastic teacher, Steve continues to share his enthusiasm for “how things work” with youngsters all over the Piedmont Triad. Enjoy a few photos from these sessions, and see the children participating in and focused on learning “how things work.”
 
In addition to classes with Steve, children and young adults have enjoyed some pottery classes, art classes, as well as woodworking classes with local volunteers.
 
If you are interested in exploring what opportunities might be found at Sugar Valley Airport for you or your children, don’t hesitate to reach out to us. SVA offers a beautiful platform for people to share, connect, learn with and from each other. Come and experience for yourself!