{"id":27387,"date":"2019-06-08T06:00:04","date_gmt":"2019-06-08T11:00:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.discoverclarksville.com\/articles\/?p=27387"},"modified":"2019-06-07T19:39:07","modified_gmt":"2019-06-08T00:39:07","slug":"apsu-governors-school-students-surprised-by-helicopter-landing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.discoverclarksville.com\/articles\/2019\/06\/08\/apsu-governors-school-students-surprised-by-helicopter-landing\/","title":{"rendered":"APSU Governor\u2019s School students surprised by helicopter landing"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"AustinClarksville, TN<\/strong> – Governor\u2019s School for Computational Physics at Austin Peay State University (APSU) surprised the 36 high school students attending with a rare treat this week \u2013 a surprise landing of one of the school\u2019s helicopters.<\/p>\n

On June 5th, 2019, just before 4:00pm former Special Operations pilot Charlie Weigandt eased one of Austin Peay\u2019s Guimbal Cabri G2 helicopters onto the Dunn Center lawn.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>

The Governor’s School for Computational Physics students stand near one of Austin Peay State University’s helicopters. (APSU)<\/p><\/div>\n

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After the chopper\u2019s rotors stopped, the students surrounded Weigandt. They peppered him with questions and took turns sitting behind the controls.<\/p>\n

Kathleen Alcock, a Cleveland High School senior, surged to the front and asked first to sit at the stick.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause it\u2019s cool, it\u2019s a helicopter,\u201d she said, before repeating, \u201cBecause it\u2019s cool, it\u2019s a helicopter.\u201d<\/p>\n

Amelia Parker, a senior at Morristown-Hamblen High School West, said when the helicopter buzzed over the lawn, it surprised her.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven then I didn\u2019t expect it to land like it did,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Even in choppy winds, Weigandt \u2013 a 24-year U.S. Army veteran and founding member of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment at Fort Campbell \u2013 landed the helicopter about 50 feet from the students. Weigandt is director of Austin Peay\u2019s aviation sciences program.<\/p>\n

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Drones, Zip, Dip at Governors School<\/h3>\n
\"Michael<\/a>

Michael Hunter of the Drone Club at Austin Peay State University shows off one of his racing drones to the Governor’s School for Computational Physics students. (APSU)<\/p><\/div>\n

Before Weigandt and his helicopter landed, the Gov School students already were delighted by a fleet of drones APSU\u2019s GIS Center and the Drone Club at Austin Peay brought out.<\/p>\n

The students piloted some of the drones and watched as Michael Hunter \u2013 who represented Austin Peay at the Collegiate Drone Racing Association nationals in April \u2013 raced his drone through a course.<\/p>\n

[320left]\u201cI got to put on the goggles (connected to an onboard camera) when he was doing the racing drone, and that\u2019s not a view I\u2019ve seen before,\u201d Alcock said.<\/p>\n

Students also piloted some of the drones.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat was really cool,\u201d Alcock said. \u201cIt had collision prevention so I didn\u2019t crash into people, which I have a tendency to get really close to people then drop the drone, but I didn\u2019t have that problem this time.\u201d<\/p>\n

What Is Governor’s School?<\/h3>\n
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