Dallas ISD Aviation Program cultivates future flyers and leaders

BY MOLLY SCHRADER

Aug. 19 is officially recognized as “National Aviation Day,” and has been since 1939, but for students in Skyline High School’s aviation program it’s a day that has relevance to the rest of their career. Not only are they learning about turbines (commonly referred to as jet engines) and reciprocating engines, they’re also leaving high school with valuable lessons on discipline, teamwork, perseverance, and ethics. For Omar U., seeing a life-sized jet engine in the Skyline Student Center was the realization he needed to pursue aviation rather than art, which was his original plan after middle school.

“It opened a door for me to know what I’m going do in the future because I wasn’t sure if I actually wanted to focus strictly on art so I led astray from that, kept it as a hobby,” Omar said.

As a freshman, Omar had zero knowledge on aircraft mechanics or engines prior to stepping into the program and admits to feeling overwhelmed with the coursework. Now, he feels the Aviation Maintenance Technicians (AMT) courses come easier to him and doesn’t anticipate experiencing turbulence throughout the remainder of his final year at Skyline.

Evolving from a timid person to a more talkative person is something Omar credits the program with helping him foster interpersonal communication. “At first, it was challenging because I didn’t know anybody. It was a brand new school, but I wanted to try to achieve something more in life. I think the hard part for me was trying to make friends,” he said.

His involvement in the program is propelling him towards his aspiration of joining the military and applying his aviation expertise in the Navy or Air Force.“The instructors are really helpful when it comes to learning about the aircraft industry. I really want to go to the military,” he said.

Six-year aviation program instructor, Erik Thomas says most of his students become aircraft mechanics while others choose to be pilots, engineers, or serve in the military. “We have an ethos about the program that I prepare them for: a life, a career. So I take it beyond aviation. It’s kind of like how to be an adult, be responsible. It’s about training your mind to think,” Mr. Thomas said.

The coursework prepares students to think critically through problems and diagnose them like a doctor would for a patient. “You have literal hundreds of people riding on your work. If you make one wrong mistake, that could actually be the end of many people’s lives and that gets impressed upon them, especially in ninth grade. They go through something [a class]called ‘Human Factors’ and it’s basically ethics and what causes people to make grave mistakes,” he said.

Aside from ethics, the students also learn about aircraft handling, towing (when an aircraft is pulled by a tug with the engine off) and taxiing (movement caused by the aircraft’s own power) an aircraft, as well as marshalling in which a ground handler directs the aircraft. The program is a fast track for students so they can begin their careers at a young age and earn at least six figures.

“By the time they’re late teens, early 20s, they’re already working for American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, L3 Technologies, or Lockheed Martin in Fort Worth,” he said. “This place [Skyline High School] is unbelievably rich in aviation. The network is just so massive that you’re going to get a job, it’s going to be high paying. If you like what you’re doing, you’re going to be happy. You’re kind of set for life.”

To learn more about Skyline’s aviation program, visit dallasisd.org/Page/2685.