Students are earning their wings and reaching new heights in a unique high school program that focuses on hands-on learning and future careers.
On this episode of the Supercast, we take you inside the Aviation Sciences Program at JATC North in West Jordan where students are able to get inside the cockpit of a flight simulator. That’s where they are able to explore what it’s really like to be a pilot and maintain control of an aircraft when rough weather or other challenges come their way.
Audio Transcription
Anthony Godfrey:
Hello, and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. Students are earning their wings and reaching new heights in a unique high school program that focuses on hands-on learning and future careers. On this episode of the Supercast, we take you inside the Aviation Sciences program at JATC North in West Jordan, where students are able to get inside the cockpit of a flight simulator. That's where they are able to explore what it's really like to be a pilot and maintain control of an aircraft when rough weather or other challenges come their way.
We're here with Aaron Organ, the aviation teacher at JATC North. Thanks for taking time with us.
Aaron Organ:
Absolutely. It's an honor. Thank you.
Anthony Godfrey:
Will you describe this program to us first of all?
Aaron Organ:
Absolutely. Yeah. This is a program that offers four different classes, each covering different things related to aviation. They can come in and explore the world of aviation and earn industry certifications to prepare them as well as earning college credit. All four classes are concurrent enrollment classes.
Anthony Godfrey:
And what got you interested in this? What's your background with aviation?
Aaron Organ:
So I was introduced into aviation when I was about 13 years old and was able to start working in aviation at a very young age. I earned my pilot's license when I was in high school. So I've always loved everything about aviation. Long story short, it wasn't a good time to go be an airline pilot when I was going to school. So I did a degree in aviation management from Utah Valley University. I went and worked a job in DC servicing airports, different services to different airports, made my way back to Utah and eventually kind of fell into teaching here at JATC.
Anthony Godfrey:
Well, we're very glad that you fell our way. That's exciting to have you here. And I'm just excited that this is something that we offer as a district. Tell me about the students who are drawn to this class.
Aaron Organ:
Yeah, we get a variety of students, you know, some have known since they were very young that they wanted to be in aviation. Some of them have, you know, parents or aunts or uncles, or it's kind of in the family. And then we have others that are completely new to it that have never really thought about it, but want to come explore what it would be like to work as a pilot or in the aviation industry. So we get kind of a wide range of students that come into this program.
Anthony Godfrey:
And tell me about the four different classes that you offer.
Aaron Organ:
Yeah, so most of my students come in wanting to be pilots. So we offer a Private Pilot Ground School course which prepares them to go take the FAA written exam to become a private pilot. And we also, like I mentioned earlier, added a Drone class this year. So that's to prepare them for the FAA, Federal Aviation Administration, written exam to earn their commercial drone license. We also have an Aviation History class. So we talk about the Wright brothers all the way to present day. You know to present day space travel and things of that nature. In that class we also do a lot of career exploration type of things. And then the other class that we also just added this year is Air Transportation Management. So that's a look at the aviation industry from the management perspective, so not from the pilot perspective. It's fairly airline heavy, so we look at the operations of airlines, the business side of it.
Anthony Godfrey:
I understand that as a part of teaching these classes, you've developed a lot of partnerships and connections to the industry to give kids a real taste of what opportunities there are out there and what the issues are, and to really learn from those who are in the field. Tell me about some of the connections that you have.
Aaron Organ:
Yeah, absolutely. That was one of my biggest goals coming here to JATC is truly engaged learning. Where we can connect the students to the industry and they can see it and feel it and hear from the people actually living what they dream to do someday. So yeah, networking is everything I think in life, but especially in the aviation industry. It's a big industry, but everyone really does seem to know everyone. And so just networking, I have a lot of different connections to airline pilots, the airport management at the Salt Lake Airport, down at Provo, the three different collegiate programs here in Utah, their aviation programs. So just, yeah, different people that I've met along the way have been really gracious to host us for field trips or come be guest speakers.
Anthony Godfrey:
What are some of the field trips you've taken?
Aaron Organ:
So, we went to Utah State in Logan and down to Utah Valley University to check out their college programs. Southern Utah University brought a helicopter to us. They came and landed a helicopter here at JATC. So we covered those. We went to the Salt Lake International Airport to get an airside operations tour, which was really cool. On the drone side, we went to Fordham Technologies in Pleasant Grove. They're a cutting edge drone startup here in Utah that started about five years ago. They have a lot of defense contracts and do a lot of cool things. So those are a few of the many field trips.
Anthony Godfrey:
That's an awesome chance for kids to really get to know the industry. Well, let's head out and let's fly a little.
Stay with us. When we come back, students take to the skies, showing us their skills in flying a drone.
Break:
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Anthony Godfrey:
We're here with Brayden and Caden, both students in the aviation classes here at JATC North. Introduce yourselves and tell me a little bit about what interested you in the class.
Caden:
So I'm Caden. I've always loved aviation. I've always wanted to be a pilot. So I saw an open house for this my sophomore year and I thought it looked pretty cool. So I decided I'd tried out my senior year and man, it was an amazing class, best class I've ever taken. Aaron's an amazing teacher. And man, I just had a ton of fun taking this class. I learned a ton of stuff. I know so much more about aviation than I previously did obviously.
Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me something that stood out for you in the class that really surprised you, or was a favorite part of the class?
Caden:
Probably just getting out and going and doing stuff. We fly drones a ton. We did tons of field trips. How many field trips do you think we went on?
Brayden:
Like 10.
Caden:
10. We went on 10 field trips and I was not expecting that. It was tons of fun. Aaron sets up a lot of stuff for us to go do. So we're not just sitting in class just on our phones and stuff, but yeah. Tons of fun.
Anthony Godfrey:
It was a deeper experience than you expected.
Caden:
Oh yeah, for sure.
Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah. And are you even more committed to aviation now?
Caden:
Yeah, 100%. I'm actually going on an LDS mission, then I'm gonna come back and go to flight school at Utah State. And I just feel so much more prepared and ready to do that now.
Anthony Godfrey:
So what is that path forward for you? You go to Utah State. Is it a four year degree? Where do things go from there?
Caden:
Yeah, so I'll get my bachelor's at Utah State and then I will hopefully end up as like a flight instructor. And then my plan was to fly a little bit of cargo after that to gain some hours then probably hop on with SkyWest or some other regional airline and then move on to hopefully Southwest Airline. So that's my goal.
Anthony Godfrey:
That sounds like a very realistic plan. I have a friend who's a pilot and that's really kind of the course that he followed. So you've really thought that through. That's impressive. Tell me about your experience.
Brayden:
My name is Brayden. I never really considered flying until this year. I always thought planes were cool and I actually wanted to do engineering first. So I took an engineering class here but I really found out that it really wasn't my thing, but I still had an interest in planes. So I took this class and found that, you know, flying is something that I could see myself doing as a career. And I just have really enjoyed this class. I've learned a ton. It's just crazy. The friendships made here and Aaron is a great teacher, very knowledgeable and everything.
Anthony Godfrey:
Have you watched Top Gun?
Brayden:
Oh yeah. I saw it last Friday. It's really good.
Anthony Godfrey:
It’s good.
Caden:
We're actually going as a class tonight.
Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, are you? That's awesome.
Caden:
All set up and ready to go.
Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah. It's a great show. As long as it's happening on the screen I can picture myself as a pilot, I'm really excited about it. But if it really came down to it, I know my limits. So, I'm impressed that you guys are in this program. Well, let's head out. Let's fly drones.
Anthony Godfrey:
We're outside now with the drone in the drone zone, ready to take flight. So we've gotta connect through the app and we'll get going. Wow.
Aaron Organ:
So you got two sticks here. This, if you go straight up, we'll go up in altitude. You can gain a little bit of altitude before I show you the other stuff.
Anthony Godfrey:
Wow. That really, that really responds and it just sticks in the air.
Aaron Organ:
So your left stick up and down, up, down, left to right. We'll just turn it in while it's hovering there.
Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. So it's rotating with the joystick, correct? So far so good. It's looking around, casing it out.
Aaron Organ:
What you see on the screen is the video feed.
Anthony Godfrey:
That's great. Wow. That's a really high quality video there.
Aaron Organ:
Yeah. Good 4K filming. Your right stick is basically turning it in flight.
Anthony Godfrey:
To take this class, you can come out with a license and an ability to earn some money.
Aaron Organ:
Yeah, absolutely. It is illegal to earn money unless you have your FAA, so Federal Aviation Administration, part 107 license. That's what enables you to make money legally with a drone. So by earning that commercial drone pilot's license that'll enable you to go get a job flying drones, getting different photography or filming or surveying and using the data of different things.
Anthony Godfrey:
You can see that this would get very addictive very fast. And even though it may not be a career for some, getting that drone license means that you can earn some money while you're going to school or whatever else.
Caden:
Totally. It doesn't have to be an end career. It could be something that you could do for a little bit until you find something that you like.
Anthony Godfrey:
What stood out for you in these classes that you discovered maybe about yourself.
Brayden:
Just how like really anyone can do it if they put their mind to it. And just how Aaron just takes the time to really help you through it. And just like how personal the class is.
Anthony Godfrey:
You've both pointed out the importance of a great teacher to help you latch onto a subject. Tell me more about Aaron.
Brayden:
I mean, he makes everything really personal in the classroom. He doesn't, you know, require us to call him Mr. Organ. He just, you know, we go by Aaron, you know? Yeah. So it makes, you know, us feel connected to him.
Caden:
Yeah, he's just really, he's more of a friend.
Brayden:
Yeah, a friend than a teacher.
Anthony Godfrey:
A friend who's helping you along a career path and discover abilities in yourself.
Caden:
But he just, he makes the class a lot more. He just goes above and beyond. Like he makes connections for us just so we can go on field trips. He'll make connections just so we can have a guest speaker come in and he'll just go above and beyond trying to get us the knowledge we need to succeed.
Anthony Godfrey:
So your connection with aviation beyond the classroom happens a lot.
Caden:
Yeah.
Anthony Godfrey:
So as a flight instructor, you might say he puts the air in Aaron.
Caden:
<Laugh> yeah.
Anthony Godfrey:
Let's take a look at the simulator. Show me how those work. There's a screen in front of you and then a screen on each side and lots of buttons.
Caden:
Yeah. So we're at the Salt Lake Airport.
Anthony Godfrey:
Can you simulate various airports on this flight simulator?
Caden:
You can go anywhere in the world.
Anthony Godfrey:
Wow. Yeah. Okay.
Caden:
But we like to fly out of Salt Lake City just because it's our airport here.
Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, sure. You've got the controls here. What does each pedal do?
Caden:
So these are the rudders.
Anthony Godfrey:
One is the clutch, right?
Caden:
No, not exactly.
Anthony Godfrey:
I've got a little bit to learn here. So these are the rudders. Okay.
Caden:
These are the rudders, and this is the yoke, and here's your throttle and your mixture. And these are the flaps for landing. This is your trim wheel.
Anthony Godfrey:
And what does the trim wheel do?
Caden:
So what your trim wheel does is when you're in flight, you're not always having to pull back on your yoke. You can trim it out so that you can not strain yourself so much, trying to always fight up and down on the yoke. So we start it up.
Anthony Godfrey:
Just started it up.
Caden:
Then we get ready. And the simulator is a lot more sensitive than a real airplane. I've done both.
Anthony Godfrey:
So tell me, you have flown in a real airplane?
Caden:
Yeah, I did that for, sorry. I'm just trying to focus on taking off.
Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah. I'll let you take off.
Caden:
It's a little program that Utah State does. It's like a camp for, I think it's a little less than a week. You just, you get to fly a helicopter. You get to fly in an airplane and you get to manipulate the controls. It's really cool. That's also what made me really love aviation more too.
Anthony Godfrey:
Sorry. This is why they have a door on the cockpit. So people don’t ask you questions while you're trying to take off.
Caden:
Oh no, it's fine. We're in flight now, so it'll be a lot easier to just gain altitude. So we actually got to go on a field trip to Utah State this year. That was probably one of my more favorite ones. They go around, talk about their program and they show you all the airplanes and it's especially cool for me because I get to fly in all those airplanes there in two years.
Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah. Huh. That's a good head start there to be able to be up there. Well, you made that look really easy. That was very smooth. Tell me, have you had to crash? Have you crashed?
Caden:
We have simulated a crash.
Anthony Godfrey:
On purpose. You simulated one.
Caden:
Yeah. Just when we were practicing our stalls throughout the year, it's just, it's a little bit more hard to do I'd say in the simulator. I've never done a stall in a real airplane.
Anthony Godfrey:
So what you do is you practice if it stalls what you would do.
Caden:
Yeah, exactly. But it's pretty hard to do it on a simulator. I don't think it's nearly the same.
Anthony Godfrey:
That's okay, don't stall. This feels good.
Caden:
And this is what the trim wheel does. So I have it pretty trimmed out right now, but let's say it wasn't trimmed perfectly. So it would go like that. So now I can do nose up.
Anthony Godfrey:
So you just make an adjustment to make sure that it's,
Caden:
Yeah. So then you can adjust it. So I gotta bring the nose down a little more, little up and then it'll be. You can never get it perfect as a pilot, but you can get pretty close.
Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah. Brayden do you wanna land the plane here?
Brayden:
Yeah. I actually have a set up right here.
Anthony Godfrey:
All right. Where are we landing? What tropical area are we? Oh, Salt Lake City.
Brayden:
This is just Provo.
Anthony Godfrey:
Provo. All right. Let's land in Provo. Why not?
Brayden:
So these lights down here will show you if you're on the glide path or not. If there is more red, that means you're lower. And if there's more white, that means you're high. But if you have two red and two white, that means you're on the glide. So we'll be there shortly.
Anthony Godfrey:
It gets your attention. The simulator really does pull you in. You have actual airline pilots come in and work with the kids?
Aaron Organ:
Correct, yeah. Two current airline pilots, they're both at SkyWest Airlines. They're both moving on to major airlines right now, but they come in on their days off and basically run the sims. One of them actually is an alumni of the JATC program about seven years ago. So it's really cool to see, you know, high school to a regional airline, to now he's headed to Delta. So it's great having him come in so the students can see what the path looks like from here.
Anthony Godfrey:
There's high demand for the program isn't there?
Aaron Organ:
There is, absolutely.
Anthony Godfrey:
Pilots are difficult to come by these days.
Aaron Organ:
Yeah. It's a fantastic time to get into the industry. The demand for pilots is higher than ever before.
Anthony Godfrey:
You guys are awesome. Congratulations on going through the program and look forward to hearing about your future.
Brayden and Caden:
Thank you.
Anthony Godfrey:
Thanks for joining us on another episode of the Supercast. Remember, education is the most important thing you'll do today. We'll see out there.