Sky-high aspirations
Whyalla City Council was proud to help local students consider a career in the aviation industry by hosting a unique event earlier this month.
Students from Long Street Primary School were given the opportunity to present their ideas for a future aviation hub in Whyalla, as part of a collaboration with Port Pirie-based flight school Black Ridge Aviation.
Some of the ideas the students presented included a VR flight simulator, and promoting Whyalla as a liveable city to attract people within the aviation industry to the region. The highlight of the day came when the Pilatus PC-12 aircraft landed at the Whyalla Airport for the students to tour, with many of them getting on a plane for the first time.
The project aims to get regional kids interested in aviation as a career and to address workforce shortages within the industry.
Lachy Staniford from Black Ridge Aviation said he could “feel the excitement” from the students as soon as they arrived, and that their ideas “genuinely blew us away”.
“This event was never just about planes. It was about showing young people in regional South Australia that aviation is possible, that their ideas matter, and that where they come from should never limit where they can go,” Mr Staniford said.
“These students stood in front of strangers and presented their ideas with courage and pride. [This] has changed lives…[and] given these students a boost in their schooling, their confidence, and their potential future in aviation.”
Council CEO Justin Commons said he hoped to see some of the students enter the aviation industry as a career in the future.
“It’s great to be able to show local kids what careers they could pursue if they put their minds to it, so hopefully it ignites a passion for some of these students to get into the aviation industry when they finish their schooling,” Mr Commons said.
On their Facebook account, Long Street Primary School thanked everyone involved for an “awe-inspiring experience and authentic audience to our students' learning”.
The pilot program is intended to serve as a model that could be expanded to other regional schools, encouraging more students to explore careers in aviation.
This is based on an article originally written by Jack O’Halloran from the Whyalla News, you can read the full version here. Some photos courtesy Whyalla News and Long Street Primary School.