Creative,
employment-ready educational opportunities for students in our remote area are
a must, and it truly takes a village to get these opportunities off the
ground. In the fall of 2013, twelve
students from the Forrest Bird Charter School and Sandpoint High School have
been working together in the inaugural year of the High School Aerospace Program. The main goal of this unique
program is to provide a well-structured, comprehensive and cost-effective
course of study for local area high school students to investigate and
experience potential careers in the aerospace industry, interfacing with
regional colleges and aerospace businesses.
The program’s fall 2013
course, Survey of Aerospace Careers, was led by local aviators and aerospace
professionals Ken Larson, Randy McLain, Hunter Horvath, and Andy Berrey. The current trimester at FBCS offers an
introduction to aircraft maintenance under the guidance of Jason Hauck, a certified
A&P mechanic. For the fall 2014 trimester, Tamarack Air engineer Steve
Babin has offered to teach an introduction to aerospace engineering. To facilitate those students wishing to attain
a Sport Pilot license, Granite Aviation has provided a model aircraft, the
Tecnam P92 Eaglet, for flight lessons. The membership of the Experimental
Aircraft Association Chapter 1441 has also given generously of their time and
money to support the efforts of this program.
Joining in on our exciting
education-in-aerospace efforts, North Idaho College has initiated a composite
program at the CDA airport with forty students enrolled in the first year of
this industry specific college level certification process. Boeing has
stamped its seal of approval on this NIC course, certifying that students who
complete this program have achieved an initial level of competence for job
opportunities.
Bonner, Boundary and
Kootenai counties are the hotbed of aviation activity in Idaho, and there is no
better time than now to offer our local students an outstanding opportunity to
get a leg-up on a growing industry – right in their own hometowns.
Next month: The impact of P-TECH
(Pathways in Technology Early College High School) for the students of North
Idaho.
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