[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 11]
[House]
[Page 16499]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               SUGAR VALLEY AIRPORT'S SPIRIT OF AVIATION

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
North Carolina (Ms. Foxx) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, the poem ``Impressions of a Pilot'' opens with 
the line: ``Flight is freedom in its purest form.''
  How perfectly that captures the allure of sky and space for so many 
who dreamed to conquer that frontier. Freedom and flight are 
inextricably linked.
  This past Saturday, many young North Carolinians got to experience 
that freedom in a brand new way at Davie County Sugar Valley Airport. 
What a joy it was to be there.
  A dedicated team of volunteers at the airport hosted ``The Spirit of 
Aviation: The Next Generation'' to introduce local students to the many 
career and recreational opportunities available to them through 
aviation.
  Children and teens from local counties spent the day exploring 
aircraft, trying their hand at flight simulators, listening to aviation 
innovators, and even taking flight themselves in ``young eagle'' flight 
expeditions.

                              {time}  1030

  Their faces were alight with excitement as they experimented with the 
physics of flight and felt the contagious enthusiasm of skilled 
aviators who, after years, still find freedom in the blue's high tide.
  The Spirit of Aviation Day at Sugar Valley revealed to young people 
new career possibilities for their lives, and didn't just stoke the 
dream of aviation, but presented a step-by-step path students might 
take to see aviation dreams become a reality.
  What stands out to me more than anything else is that this day of 
discovery and imagination was made possible by a community 
independently committed to encouraging the next generation of aerial 
pioneers--whether pilots, mechanics, or engineers.
  Yes, the spirt of volunteerism and community service is alive and 
well in North Carolina. In fact, it is thriving; and every time I am 
home visiting nonprofits and meeting the people who make up their 
various support networks, I am proud of the Tar Heel State. The 
initiative and benevolent entrepreneurialism displayed by Carolinians 
contributes new chapters often to the collective record of American 
service.
  The accomplishment of volunteers at the Sugar Valley Airport is just 
one example.
  In 2010, a group of North Carolinians came together through Winston-
Salem's nonprofit Human Service Alliance and bought the Sugar Valley 
Airport. Their hope was that the airport would facilitate the promotion 
of aviation, both as a sport and career field ripe with competitive 
jobs.
  In 3 short years, with a dedicated team of volunteers supplying 100 
percent of the vision, manpower, support, and direction, the airport 
has come to serve as a hub for flight enthusiasts and learning center 
for those considering the pursuit of pilot or mechanic work. In any 
given week, the airport may host Boy Scouts, civil air patrol cadets, 
experimental aviation enthusiasts, leading women pilots, and aviation 
ground school students.
  North Carolinians take great pride in our ``first in flight'' 
distinction. It was on our Outer Banks that Wilbur and Orville Wright 
pushed the limits of gravity and completed history's first recorded 
controlled powered airplane flights.
  With the commitment of the team at the Sugar Valley Airport, I can 
confidently say that our State, the home of Kitty Hawk, is intent on 
being the home of great aviators and pioneering aviation contributions 
for years to come.
  Guidance and encouragement from Sugar Valley's seasoned pilots, 
mechanics, and generous volunteers will continue to open a new world of 
opportunity to children in North Carolina.
  In this world above the clouds, our children are free to dream, free 
to soar, and free to conquer the wild blue yonder and much, much more.

                          ____________________