High School Aviation Endures Bumpy Ride

A few weeks back I wrote about a program that is bringing aviation to students in middle and high school.  With a little bit of searching I found an article entitled:  High school aviation endures bumpy ride, at News-Record.com.  It outlines some of the struggles that this program has had, and how they have tweaked their curriculum to make the program more effective.

Like so many programs of the sort they started with the idea of making pilots out of these kids.  After seeing the program not even come close to reaching enrollment goals, they made a shift to include aircraft designers and mechanics, as well as laying the groundwork for an engineering degree.  This is the type of program that needs to be created all over the country.

One of the problems I have with our education system is that it is based far too much on getting every kid to college, when that is not the best route for every kid.  There is absolutely nothing wrong with being a mechanic, or photographer, or any number of other trades that require no college education.  We just need to get kids into those fields earlier, and with better training.

If someone wants to go to college then great, but if someone really just wants to turn wrenches in a plane then lets get them the right training early on.  With jobs like that a person is far better served by getting their hands on the tools and equipment and doing some real learning than they are spending hours on end in an art class that they will never use.

I have a college degree, in aviation, and I am glad I have it because with the career path I am pursuing it is essential, but for kids who don’t need a full on degree program, a program like this is just the right thing.  I hope they will be able to find the funding they need to keep it going.