Center for Airway Science
The “Centers for Airway Science,” founded by Mr. Robert Strickland as the Warren Lee Strickland Foundation in 1990, is designed to introduce aviation, aerodynamics, the applied mathematics, and the history related to minorities in aviation.
In partnership with Portland Community College Cascade Campus, the Center for Airway Science recruits “cadets” from the nearby schools and community. The curriculum in the 16 session courses centers on Mathematics, Aerodynamics, Aviation and commercial and industrial careers related to aviation. At the Cascade Campus, PCC provides a state-of-the-art flight simulator laboratory with all the bells and whistles to guide students into the flight experience in the cockpit.
Central to the education strategies are emphasis on the concept of: Community, Responsibility, Citizenship, Leadership, and the range of Learning Modalities that enable and accelerate learning. The “two most important lab classroom behaviors, known by all the “cadets” are: “Taking Notes” an”Asking Questions.”
One outcome guaranteed to families, in exchange for their support of the student is that each cadet… “Before he or she ever sets foot on a high school campus, they will have short and long-term goals, have completed a simulated college course, and know how to fly an airplane.
The primary participants in these courses, consistent with Bob Strickland’s original vision, are 5th, 6th, and 7th grade students.
Michael “Chappie” Grice, its first executive director, when asked what accounts for the determined commitment and effort on the part of the students claims, “…It is one part family, one part student effort, and two parts “expectations” on the part of the program and the cultivated relationships between instructors and the “cadets” and the home and families.”
Information on how to enroll for fall, 2010 courses can be obtained by visiting: www.airwayscience.org or calling Mr. Grice directly at 415.722.4348. Be well.