Aeronautics training program fostered at both M-V schools
Orientation held at Bromont airport
Aviation Connection, a non-profit organization offering an aerospace training program (ATP) to high school students designed to introduce them to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics will be setting up shop at Massey-vanier High School in January 2018. The after-school project will serve as a link to the Applied Science Program. It will be able to accommodate 45 secondary 3 students.
According Catherine Tobenas of Aviation Connection, the aeronautical training program is developed around the restoration of a donated aircraft giving the students the unique opportunity to apply theoretical concepts presented in class while participating in the construction of an aircraft.
This project dovetails with the reality presented by GE Aviation Inc. at Bromont that the aerospace industry is in need of employees to take over from the many who have made lifelong careers and are readying to retire. This phenomenon is being experienced across North America with many airlines having to reduce their flight schedules because of the shortage of not just pilots, but maintenance crews, and other support services directly related to the industry.
The ATP is designed for high school students in Secondary 3, 4, and 5 and consists of a theoretical aspect including the use of flight simulators and a practical aspect supported by the restoration of a Piper PA16 donated by Aviation Connection. The bright yellow plane built in 1947 already bears the Massey-vanier
school logo on its fuselage. That the program combines engineering, aeronautics and graphic design while facilitating the comprehension of academic subjects, the Massey-vanier teachers welcome the program wholeheartedly. And though the program has not been officially sanctioned by the ETSB’S governing board, Massey-vanier’s Chair Daniel Zigby assures that he has spoken to all members who unofficially endorse the plan enthusiastically.
According to the Principal Julie Edwards of the ETSB side of Massey-vanier High School in Cowansville, the project will be linked to the Applied Science Program. Students will be able to participate in it free of charge and will be able to take the late bus home. “There is a great advantage to have students learn while connecting to real life experience,” says Edwards. “The timing is right for this project, especially considering there will be job possibilities for those who want to stay in the region.”
Tobenas says that the ATP fulfills an important need for adaptation to new national and international scientific standards. In Quebec, the ATP will have a direct impact on nearly 1,000 students in five secondary schools by 2019. Aviation Connection aims to serve 50,000 students across Canada over the next 10 years. As early as 2019, students enrolled in the ATP will be invited to participate in a virtual aircraft design contest.
The after school program is a project supported in partnership with the Municipality of Cowansville, ETSB, and the Val-des-cerfs School Board as well as Massey-vanier High Schools (French and English) and several other companies and volunteers within the region.
Students who had attended the Eastern Townships Air Show and Aviation Fair were invited to an orientation of the program this past Sunday. More than two dozen showed up voluntarily and it was evident that riding high in the sky was another trigger to inspire them to join the program.
More information about the program will be available at the school’s upcoming open house.