“I think that this class will help them be able to decide, yes, this is truly a passion of mine, and it’s only going to help them gain more knowledge about the field and hopefully give them an advantage over anyone else that is also pursuing a career like that.” Maize South Aviation Fundamentals Teacher Joe Jackson said.
Starting this year the Maize district is now offering Aviation Fundamentals to both high schools for students preparing for a career in aviation. By partnering with WSU tech this class gives students exposure to flight simulators, different career options, and the opportunity to work for a pilots license to advance them in their pathway before college.
“We’ve actually got a fairly large number of students who are interested or who have already started on their pilot’s license, and got a couple of students who have completed that as well,” Jackson said. One of my students just did his first solo flight on his birthday, so it’s a really cool class.”
Even with this being the first year the course is offered, classes have been full with students interested in commercial, private, and even Air Force piloting. Maize Career Academy is also planning to offer a Grounds School course starting fall of 2026 for students looking to get a head start on their career.
“The class is preparing me to enter the world of aviation, whether that’s becoming an airline pilot, an airline technician, or anything else through aviation.” Maize South Sophomore Corbin Wise said.
Maize Career Academy Principal Linsey King and Jackson have built this course to introduce and grow students into this field by giving them the opportunity to get their licenses and have an advantage in the field of aviation.
“If students do the 2nd level class, we could potentially do ground school for free with no cost which would be a huge advantage,” Jackson said. I feel like our students are gonna have an advantage if they truly want to go into the aviation field and specifically become a pilot.”
Jackson has enjoyed teaching this class and is very happy with the amount of students who come in excited to learn about this career path. Students also enjoy the class and the ability to have more opportunities than other schools may offer.
“I think it’s important so that it can excel students into the world of aviation, because it’s really hard to get into, and it’s hard to start, so it provides a really good starting point for people,” Wise said.
