For three days, students will stay overnight and are placed into situations where they must use 21^st century learning skills. They will be exposed to a variety of concepts including meteorology, aerodynamics, physics and search and rescue fundamentals.

Students will work in a team squadron format to collaborate and complete missions. The National Flight Academy builds a heart-pumping, adrenaline-filled story line, which brings life to the mission as if the students are in a real-world scenario.

Students will apply these fundamental skills by flying the high-performance X-12B Triad, the National Flight Academy’s experimental aircraft, offering them hands-on comprehension of the principles of flight thrust, hovering and target drops.

The Cruise programs are separated into two categories – based on the grade level of the students:

Learn to Soar is designed for students in grades 5 – 8. During Learn to Soar, students will cover the basics of flight, radar and communication skills. They will also perform a short familiarization flight in addition to planning and flying a series of cross-country flights.

Code Breakers is designed for students in grades 9 – 12. Students will learn basic cyber security and flight concepts as they prepare for information-collecting missions. Students will figure out how to analyze and protect information through various encryption exercises. In the culminating exercise, teams will test their encryption skills in a code breaking competition.

Registration for the Veteran’s Day programs close on Friday, Oct. 20. Each program costs $399 per student. To register visit nationalflightacademy.com/cruises or call 850-458-7836.

About the National Flight Academy

The National Flight Academy, located aboard Naval Air Station Pensacola in Pensacola, Florida, is designed to address the serious concerns of declining Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) skills and standards in our country. The Academy’s mission is to inspire students who subsequently return to their parent schools and seek out the more challenging courses in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math.

The NFA is a self-supporting, tuition-based educational program. We welcome support from individuals, corporations and foundations for both our sponsorship program and general operation funds. The National Flight Academy, a program of the Naval Aviation Museum Foundation Inc., is authorized but not endorsed or funded by the U.S. Navy or U.S. Government.

For more information about the National Flight Academy, visit http://www.nationalflightacademy.com or find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.