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Brennan Boss, James Cosby, John and
Kelsey Dallas, Brittany Dickson, Andrew Dugan, John Martina, Ryan
Miller and Christopher Sandborn attended from Lincoln. Bianca and
Logan Ramos and Alex Sellers made the daily commute from Mason City,
while Kyle Farmer came in from Middletown. Sangamon County was
represented by Aaron Bender of Springfield and Aaron McGee of
Chatham, and Neal Reed and Keith Underkoffler came from Bloomington.
After welcoming the students to
Heritage in Flight Museum, Milt Underkoffler pointed out that there
are careers in aircraft manufacturing, aircraft maintenance,
aircraft operations, aircraft safety enforcement, and the design and
operation of aviation facilities. He stressed that while some of
these require only a high school education, many of them require a
college degree.
Curtis Fox then discussed the
categories of flight and the rules and privileges of the various
Federal Aviation Administration certificates. The three-hour session
included a discussion of airframe and power plant mechanics
certification and the training and function of flight controllers.
The requirements for positions at airports, airlines and aircraft
manufactures were also discussed. The first afternoon concluded with
a discussion and a listing of the pay for the various aviation
careers.
Tuesday was military day, and the
arrival of an Army Black Hawk helicopter started an afternoon of
discussion of full-time military aviation careers, part-time
military careers and how the military experience can advance
civilian aviation careers. The Black Hawk departure brought cheers
as the pilots demonstrated their capabilities. After the Black Hawk
departed, pilot Curtis Fox was able to give most of the cadets an
orientation flight in a fixed-wing aircraft.
[to top of second column in
this article]
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Wednesday, United Airlines Captain
Scott Blickenstaff, who had just returned from a six-day trip to
Hong Kong as a pilot on a Boeing 747, answered questions in three
one-hour sessions. Scott told the cadets how he advanced from a
charter pilot for the fixed base operator at the Bloomington Airport
to a captain for United Airlines. Scott also told them about changes
that had taken place at United Airlines since Sept. 11.
On Thursday airport designer and
manager Neil Ralston told the cadets how he had prepared to be an
airline pilot and then decided to redirect his career toward airport
management, design and construction. The three-hour session ended
when parents arrived to take home their recently trained
computer-generated airport plan designers.
On Friday Jim Cunningham, a certified
ground school instructor, brought his Cub Arrow from Bloomington to
serve as the centerpiece for a mini ground school course. He talked
about and then showed the systems of his airplane.
Ryan Wells acted as HIF
sergeant-at-arms throughout the week. He gave rides in the jeep, led
students through the Huey and Corsair II, and provided general
assistance and direction for the cadets and instructors.
The 18
cadets who started and finished the Aviation Careers Week included
students with ambitions to become a pilot of Air Force One, an
astronaut, an engineer and one intending to become an airline owner.
"We will
preserve the picture board of the class of 2002 pictures at the
Heritage in Flight Museum so we can follow their careers," stated
Underkoffler.
[Milt Underkoffler,
educational coordinator,
Heritage in Flight Museum] |
