On June 19th, Bennett Fuchs ’26, a Civil Air Patrol cadet with the Danbury Squadron, helped launch a high-altitude weather balloon from Forman’s campus, marking the culmination of six months of planning and preparation. During its 2.5-hour flight, the balloon traveled approximately 60 miles in a zig-zag pattern due to winds before Bennett and his fellow cadets successfully recovered it in Westfield, MA. Along the way, it collected data on temperature, altitude, speed over ground, pressure, humidity, light intensity, and climb rate.

The Civil Air Patrol's three main areas of focus are emergency services, aerospace and STEM education, and cadet programs, which emphasize character and leadership development for youth ages 12 to 18.

Bennett’s dad, Kurt Fuchs P’26, serves as Deputy Commander for Cadets and assisted in overseeing the balloon launch. 

“During the balloon project, we, as a squadron, approach this as a project management exercise so we impart project management skills emphasizing among others; team objectives, time lines, working within limitations (weight, resources, etc.), communications, team leadership, and so on,” explained Kurt Fuchs P’26. “The project has several teams in charge of certain tasks (build team, launch team, search and recovery team, public affairs team, drone team, media team, safety team, logistics team).” 

Bennett, who holds the rank of Cadet Lieutenant, finds the role rewarding. 

“My favorite parts of being a cadet are community service, mentoring others, and participating in aerospace programs,” Bennett said.