Champaign, ILLINOIS (Parkland College) / December 7, 2015 - Every pilot, every aviation company, every flying organization knows a compelling need exists to reach out to young people to interest them in aviation. Especially airline companies readily admit the imperative and active pilots know the industry should do more to share their interest in flying and the workplace opportunities it can bring.
However, most individuals and enterprises know they lack some of the skills and contacts to find and encourage these young people. They may not even know the best ways to talk to them.
Parkland College Institute of Aviation educators know!
Parkland's Institute is lead by Sybil Phillips, Chief Pilot and Director of Aviation Instruction. Recently she traveled to the West Coast to meet an group of motivated young students who are engaged in an innovative program run by Steve Smith at Canyon High School in CITY, California.
"We want to collaborate with high schools that offer aviation programs to broaden the opportunities available to those students who want to study aviation in college. Our Parkland College student body includes students from all over the United States and from other countries as well," said Phillips. As part of her trip to California, Sybil knew she had a receptive audience but still needed to present the value Parkland's Institute offers.
"As part of my presentation to the Canyon High students, I highlighted three alumni from the Institute of Aviation who were originally from California. I wanted to inform these students that they have an excellent option for a flight school in Illinois" said Phillips. "Learning to fly in the Midwest offers California students exposure to all types of weather they don't normally get to deal with from snow to high humidity to strong crosswinds. Proximity to the University of Illinois offers the opportunity to transfer into highly-ranked programs, for example in engineering and business."
Canyon High School benefits from strong leadership. "Educator Steve Smith has started a great program with students who are eager learners and engaged in aviation," said Phillips. "The students asked great questions that showed they are building mental models of the possibilities that a career in aviation offers. The purpose for my visit was to talk about a career as a pilot and how the Institute of Aviation at Parkland College can play a role in the journey toward that career."
In California, Orange County Register staff writer, Allison Ong, prepared an article that can be read at: http://www.ocregister.com/articles/aviation-684234-smith-students.html
As writer Ong detailed, "The Anaheim Hills School is home to the only high school aviation program in Orange County. By the end of the program ... 45 students will be on track for several potential aviation careers and could take the written portion of the test for a pilot's license."
Ong also reported about the program developer program founder Steve Smith, who does triple duty at Canyon, teaching aviation, mathematics and student leadership. "(It's) doing everything that educators are pushing for these days with science, math and technology," Ong quotes Smith.
Parkland College Institute of Aviation enrollees can earn an Associate's Degree in Aviation, choosing a program leading to an Associate in Science (Aviation) with an option to transfer to a four-year school. Students can acquire a Private Pilot Certificate while completing Parkland AVI 101 and 120 courses. Students will earn the private pilot certification, an instrument rating, and the commercial pilot certificate in a sequential manner during Parkland's program.
Parkland College Institute of Aviation curriculum is designed to provide students with a pathway through a four-year institution and a bachelor's degree while earning the certifications necessary to enter the commercial aviation job market.
The Institute of Aviation's reputation of producing outstanding alumni dates back to its founding in 1946. Institute alumni fly for all major U.S. airlines and for military, corporate, cargo, and charter organizations worldwide. More than 3,000 Institute of Aviation graduates have gone on to train other pilots as instructors. Read more about Parkland's Flight Training program information.
FACTS ABOUT PARKLAND COLLEGE INSTITUTE OF AVIATION
Parkland College is a community college located in Champaign, Illinois. Through Parkland's program, students can earn a transferable Associate of Science in Aviation degree, FAA-approved private pilot certification, and commercial pilot ratings. Parkland is leasing the University of Illinois' fleet of airplanes, equipment, and ground school facilities under a three-year agreement. More information can be found at http://www.parkland.edu/aviation.
MORE ABOUT PARKLAND COLLEGE
Parkland College is a fully accredited, public community college established to serve the needs of District 505, the third largest community college district in Illinois. The college is a center for educational opportunity and community enrichment in east central Illinois and has earned a national reputation for excellent academic standards, innovative programs, and quality instruction.
Built on 233 acres of landscaped grounds in Champaign, Illinois, the beautiful, quiet campus is situated near the intersection of Interstates 57, 72, and 74 and is just four miles west of the University of Illinois campus. Parkland is a reasonable drive from downtown Chicago, Indianapolis, or St. Louis.
Parkland College facilities include more than 150 classrooms and labs, an extensive library collection, an FM radio station, an educational TV station, an experimental agricultural land laboratory, an art gallery, championship Cobra athletics, and excellent physical education and recreation facilities, including a newly remodeled fitness center. Our cultural center contains a 320-seat performing arts theater and a 50-foot dome planetarium, the second largest in Illinois. Parkland also has a child development center to serve the needs of faculty, staff, students, and families in our community.
