Turbo Takes Flight: Inspiring Aviation Dreams with the Flying Dog

It was a clear blue day in Front Royal without a cloud in the sky–just a dog named Turbo. Turbo landed at Randolph-Macon Academy along with the authors of his two books Turbo the Flying Dog and Turbo Learns to Fly and his dog pal, Olive.

The Turbo book series was created by Victoria Zajko and Kelly Kennedy who are both female pilots. Their hope through these books is to help students learn more about opportunities in the aviation field. They have done several Paws and Planes events in their local area of Frederick, Maryland and R-MA was fortunate to welcome them to campus on September 13^th for a free community event. During the three-hour affair, children were able to have their picture taken with Turbo and listen to a story time of both of their books. There were also aviation-themed crafts and games to play.

“It was a natural fit for us to host this event,” said organizer Amy Harriman, who is the R-MA’s Director of Admission and Financial Aid. “We have our own flight program and both of our flight instructors, Laura Abraham and Ryan Koch, and three of our flight students helped at this event along with several other members of the R-MA community.  It was a fun day for everyone and we hope that in the crowd of guests we met some future pilots.”

Randolph-Macon Academy (R-MA), founded in 1892, is a college-preparatory, coeducational day and boarding school for students in grades 6 through 12.  Students in grades 9-12 participate in R-MA’s 91st Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) and have the option to participate in a flight program. R-MA is affiliated with the United Methodist Church and is located in Front Royal, VA.