High school students attended two classes on aviation and aerospace Saturday as part of the Mile High Flight program’s 20th anniversary with Metropolitan State University.
About half of the group of 25 students learned how to craft a flight plan and fly a single-engine simulator with Professor Bruce Christian, who teaches aviation at Metro State. Don Gilmore, professor of mathematics, taught the other half of the group how to design and test a hand-held glider made of balsa wood.
Mile High Flight is an educational program that exposes high school students to aviation and other STEM-related (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) fields.
The organization is sponsored by the Denver chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen and also teaches students about the history of that famous Army Air Corps program, which trained African Americans to fly and maintain combat aircraft during World War II.
Tommy Fortson, a pilot for Skywest Airlines, said he went through the program when he was in high school and it helped him pursue a career in aviation. Now he volunteers with the group and works as a mentor for all students, but especially the historically underrepresented students the organization tries to serve.
“What originally attracted me to the program was that it does draw from schools with a larger minority population, with people who look like myself,” he said. “It provides a stepping stone with professional individuals in aviation and not just pilots, but there’s airport management and more and it’s open to all backgrounds.”
Fortson stressed the importance of mentorship and said it is helpful for students to be able to talk with somebody who has gone through a similar process and has become a professional in the aviation industry.
“Whether they need somebody to try and figure out how to pay for their education or overcome other education hurdles, it’s good to meet individuals who are volunteers in the program to encourage you to keep going,” he said. “I had a lot of those gentlemen I could call in a heartbeat and they were able to teach me and give me advice.”
Isaiah Bowen, 14, and a freshman at Eaglecrest High School, started attending Mile High Flight with his older brother five years ago and fell in love.
“I always knew I liked STEM-oriented things,” he said. “But I didn’t know what exactly. It’s helped me know what I should be doing and stay focused on.”
Bowen said his goal is to attend the Air Force Academy and become a commercial pilot for FedEx. But he is also interested in aerospace engineering.
John Frazier is pilot at FedEx and graduated from MSU in 1995. He is a coordinator for Mile High Flight and said by the time the students graduate, most can fly an airplane on their own.
“Our goal is that we want these kids to succeed regardless of what they want to pursue,” he said. “Some become pilots and some go in an entirely different route. But out goal is to give these kids exposure to this world of aviation. We never turn anyone away. Any kid that has the interest level and who wants to be a part of our organization and wants to learn, we welcome.”
Mile High Flight begins in September and meets once a month throughout the school year.
Updated March 11, 2017 at 11:17 a.m. Due to a reporter’s error, John Frazier’s graduation year was misreported. Frazier graduated in 1995, and Tommy Fortson graduated in 2005.
