Teenage pilots: New agreement allows high schoolers to earn credits at Laconia airport

LACONIA — Look up, and what do you see? Some people see career opportunities, and a new partnership between public education and the Laconia Municipal Airport aims to bring aviation careers within reach for local students.

The partnership — and, yes, you could call it a pilot program — begins this spring at Laconia Flight Academy, a sub-brand of SkyBright Aviation, one of the fixed-base operators at Laconia airport, and it allows students to earn credits toward their high school diplomas while beginning their training to become certified pilots.

The development is possible through the Department of Education’s “Learn Everywhere” initiative, which enables students to apply for credits for learning that happens outside of conventional high school settings.

Mark Donovan, of SkyBright, said the company he works for has been providing flight education for the 35 years it has been operating. Last fall, Donovan said, he was approached by Dan Caron, an educator at Gilford High School, who also helps run the WinnAero and Ace Academy aviation camps at the airport, about arranging the opportunity for students to earn credit.

“Dan was kind of the catalyst for initiating it,” Donovan said. He and the SkyBright team put together an application with the state, and in March, the Department of Education granted final approvals.

Laconia Flight Academy offers a “ground school,” a kind of introductory course in aviation, which meets on two evenings every week. Students who complete the course can now count that as a half-credit toward their graduation requirements. If they wish to continue, they could go as far as earning their instrument rating, and even their private pilot license, for a total of two credits.

“This is pretty exciting,” said Donovan. Earning those credentials in Laconia would save a student several thousands of dollars, compared to what that would cost them at a college that offers flight training. Perhaps more importantly, Donovan said, “A student in high school that is motivated for an aviation career can really accelerate their course on becoming a pilot,” or any other career in aviation, such as engineer, mechanic or flight controller.

Across the board

Caron, who teaches technology and engineering and is a school-to-careers coordinator at Gilford High School, said it’s a rarity for high school students to be able to access aviation education in New Hampshire. However, he said, the benefits of such are wide-reaching.

“A class like an aviation class, you’re looking at standards and competencies that are across the board,” he said, mentioning Earth science, social studies, math, English, engineering. “It’s all there.”

The credits students could earn would be applied to the “general education” portion of their graduation requirements, and wouldn’t take the place of any required courses.

Flight training at local airports is generally more affordable than at colleges, but is still costly. Students who engage in the program would have to cover the cost of tuition, but Caron said assistance is likely available should the cost be prohibitive.

Caron said the application he and SkyBright created for the program has been shared with Emerson Aviation, which also operates out of Laconia airport, to see if they can use it as a foundation to get approval from the state. “Eventually, what we’ll do is get this out to every fixed-base operator in the state,” Caron said.

Caron said that in making the initial arrangements, he had help from Tricia Schoeneck Lambert, an administrator at the state’s Department of Transportation, Bureau of Aeronautics.

“Aviation is a multifaceted industry that is critical to the successful movement of goods and services worldwide,” Schoeneck Lambert said, adding the Learn Everywhere program develops local talent needed for the industry, while offering students a real-world application of science, technology, engineering and math concepts.

“The Department of Transportation, Bureau of Aeronautics will continue to encourage and assist prospective aviation applicants to participate in this extraordinary program to educate the next generation of aviation professionals,” said Schoeneck Lambert.

‘A sense of freedom’

A junior at Gilford, Abigale Taylor is already on her way to becoming a pilot.

“I feel like I’ve traveled all my life, I’ve been in so many different places, and I thought I want to travel more and become a pilot so I can do that,” Taylor said.

Taylor was a ski instructor at Gunstock Mountain Resort this winter, is part of the volleyball and track and field teams, and is a member of the National Honor Society. She said her professional ambitions took shape during an aviation and space technology class taught by Caron.

“It was such a great resource. We had simulators and guest speakers from Laconia airport,” Taylor said, “It made me realize, I can make this happen.”

Taylor is currently enrolled in the ground school course at Laconia Flight Academy, one of a few high schoolers in the class. Once she passes the test — and once the weather breaks — she hopes to begin flight training this spring.

For her birthday last year, Taylor took an introductory flight lesson. “It was awesome,” she said. Flying, “for me, it gives a sense of freedom, it’s exhilarating, and there’s so much knowledge that you have to learn to do this.”

Taylor said she’s excited to be able to begin her flight training while still in high school. She expects that it will put her in a strong position to consider the next steps after graduation.

“I’ve been looking at what I’d like to do when I’m older. I’m seeing what colleges offer for aviation programs. If they see that aviation was also part of my high school curriculum, that would help me out in the long run,” she said.

Should she succeed in becoming a commercial pilot, Taylor would be unusual. Caron said only about a quarter of pilots are female, and there’s a concerted push among educators to correct that imbalance. Taylor said she isn’t dissuaded by this gender ratio; she works with a female flight instructor and has other women in aviation to look up to. She also expects that, rather than being a sole pioneer in the field, she'll be part of a generation that includes more female aviators than ever before.

“I’m excited to start my flying journey,” Taylor said.