EXPERT COLUMN Aviation Academy for High Schoolers
Following the METAR exercise , the class reviewed lessons from earlier that week , covering airplane control surfaces , FARs ( Federal Aviation Regulations ), basic FAA information , and the obtaining of the all-important First-Class medical certificate . “ If you can ’ t get that ,” Dubee reminded the students , “ you ’ ll need to rethink your Pilot career path .”
He told of one student who had been unable to get the certificate because of red / green color blindness . “ He was heartbroken ,” Dubee said . “ But it ’ s my job to help him and other such students find alternate paths into the industry . There are plenty of other jobs : dispatchers , management positions . That ’ s what I ’ m here for , not just to support them in becoming Pilots , but to provide additional industry information and show them that there is more than just this one job in the aviation industry . You can do hundreds of things down at Delta or American , or wherever you go .”
Not all students at the academy are aiming for the airlines . One was hoping to be admitted to the Air Force Academy and fly for the military , while others were interested in futures in business aviation , air traffic control , or maintenance .
A UNIQUE BACKGROUND
After retiring from the Georgia Air National Guard as an Air Battle Manager , Dubee spent several years in education , including a stint at a public school in Chattanooga , Tennessee , where he started an aviation program . He came back to Georgia to teach computer science and manufacturing before landing the opportunity to start the aviation pathway at C3 .
“ There are aviation programs available to schools ,” he said .
“ AOPA [ the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association ] has a great high school curriculum with lesson plans and activities ; everything you need for grades nine to 12 . And it meets all of the national standards for science and mathematics . But , on top of that , I wanted to offer additional enrichment to enhance their foundational knowledge . So , I set out to build a different curriculum here .”
Dubee designed a twoyear program that teaches the students what they need to move forward in aviation . “ They will need to pass the FAA Private Pilot written test . So , I prep them for that . They need to understand what is going to happen during the course of an aviation career — the hiring cycles , the unexpected events .”
During the two years at the academy , the cohorts of students will stay together . The morning group will come back
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