Students Start Out Young to Earn Aviation Wings

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By J.J. Jensen
Seattle Times staff reporter
Friday, January 10, 2003

When Robert Radford was a little boy growing up in Meridian, Miss., in the 1930s, he used to watch in awe the planes that would come and go from the nearby Air Force base. To be as close to the action as he possibly could, he would go there and shine shoes.

"I could sense the glamour of aviation," he said. "It was something I wanted to do. It had such symbolic importance to me, and I think to most blacks. It was a career that was held in high esteem."

So, in 1946, Radford volunteered for the U.S. Army Air Forces. He quickly learned, however, of discriminatory practices that denied broader participation for blacks and women.

"I found out I was a little bit out of step with the times, meaning the social times, the statutory discrimination times," he said.

Now the Greenwood Elementary School principal wants to make sure any student who wants to fly has the opportunity to do so.

Through the school's aviation program, Radford has brought in flight simulators and arranged for an array of guest speakers and field trips. The program, which began its second year at the school yesterday, will culminate with a group of students traveling to Boeing Field in June, where they'll get to fly a Cessna 172.

Radford, who eventually received his pilot's license in 1958, after serving in the Korean War, says elementary school is a perfect time to get kids interested in careers in aviation.

"One of the things I think aviation does is inspire dreamers and innovators," he said.

On Thursday afternoons, over the next six months, students will receive the same sort of instruction as other pilots who go through ground school, said Radford, who flies single-engine planes, such as Pipers and Cessnas.

In addition to reading texts and taking quizzes, the students also will have the opportunity to learn from a variety of pilots, as Radford has lined up speakers from the Airline Pilots Association, National Organization for Women Pilots and Black Pilots Association. Members of the Tuskegee Airmen, an all-black fighter squadron during World War II, also will come to the school next month.

While all students at the kindergarten through fifth-grade school will study aerospace education this year and celebrate the 100th year of powered flight, fourth- and fifth-graders who maintain good grades will get an added bonus.

They'll spend time at the controls of one of three flight simulators in the school's aviation room. There, they'll climb into a wooden, makeshift cockpit resembling a small plane, complete with yoke and rudders.

They will train on Microsoft Flight Simulator 2002 software on the computer. Once the students log on, they would be able to choose from a variety of lessons, such as straight and level flight, turns, climbs and descent, takeoffs and landings.

As they fly, the drone of an engine would hum through surround-sound speakers, and they would receive tips and instructions from a virtual instructor.

When the flight is complete, details of the students' progress will be saved on the computer.

Fifth-grader Julia Amando, who flew the Cessna 172 last year, said the program isn't all fun and games, but it's worth it once you're in the air.

"You have to pay a lot of attention, otherwise, it will be a disaster and you won't know what you're doing," she said.

Parent Scott Walker, whose son, Aidan, took the class last year, has said he now wants to be an aviation engineer. He said he likes that the program encompasses many subjects and interests a variety of kids.

"I think most importantly is that it gets kids thrilled to come and learn in this new environment, and then the other things just fall into place," he said. "It seems to be a motivational tool, too. It rewards the good students and also brings up the students who maybe aren't motivated."

Though happy with the program's success, Radford one day envisions an aviation academy offered to all fifth- through 12th-grade students in King County. He sees a school where students would learn core subjects, plus all aspects of the aviation industry.

In the meantime, Radford wants all kids to know that with hard work they can become aviators.

"What I try to convey to young people is to dream big," he said. "Don't compromise your dreams. You've got to visualize where you want to come out. By seeing yourself living that dream is what makes the whole process happen."

J.J. Jensen: 206-464-2386 or jjensen@seattletimes.com

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