Fifth graders at Lucy Barnsley Elementary School are ready with questions for their pilot visitors.

“It’s pretty awesome!” said F/O Matt Lansberry (United) during a career-day presentation to fifth graders earlier this year.

Yes, the age-old wonder of flight continues to amaze children around the world. And ALPA’s Education Committee believes that by having pilots meet with and talk directly to young people about the piloting profession it will inspire the next generation to become airline pilots.

And it works! F/O Jamie Wright (United), one of the three pilots who attended the career-day presentation, is a pilot today because of a similar experience she had.

“I got to meet some pilots when I was five years old, and I still remember it to this day,” she said. “We can have an impact on what kids decide they want to be at an early age.”

Lansberry, Wright, and F/O David Tuscano (PSA) visited the fifth graders at Lucy Barnsley Elementary School in Rockville, Md., on October 4, speaking about their path to the cockpit and answering questions from 80-plus interested students. Wright’s husband, Chris, a commander in the U.S. Coast Guard, also attended.

Questions, questions

During the classroom visit, the students asked the pilots a number of questions, including

• Do you study past airplane accidents to learn from them?
• How does it feel to be up in the air in command of an airplane?
• Do you get in trouble for speeding in an airplane?
• How do you make sure that airplanes don’t crash in mid-air?
• Do you get bored on a long flight?
• Have you been involved in a bird strike?
• Do you ever get motion sickness?

“I thought it was interesting to see the different perspectives of all of the pilots and how they’ve worked toward being a pilot—the different things they did that all led them there,” commented Natalia Argoti, one of the students in attendance. “Now I know more about what it takes to be a pilot.”

Students listen intently as the pilots explain their path to the cockpit.

Classmate Leo Melton enjoyed the stories the pilots shared about their work and the action involved. He was also impressed that the pilots were able to learn what all of the buttons in a cockpit do, “even though it looks so confusing to most ordinary people.”

Getting involved

ALPA’s Education Committee encourages members to volunteer their time and visit local schools to talk about what it takes to become an airline pilot and what life is like for pilots flying the line today.

Tuscano was taking part in his first school visit and recommended it highly to others. “I got a lot out of it, and I’ll be doing many more,” he said. “At first, it was a little nerve-racking, but I’m glad I did it.”

Lansberry has made multiple school visits and estimates that it takes about four hours of prep work before the presentation and about four hours the day of the class visit (including commute time). To him, it’s well worth it. “It’s always cool to see a little spark,” he said. “The kids absolutely love it, and you’re always well received.”

Do you have what it takes to do a school visit and talk about the piloting profession? To help get started, contact ALPA’s Education Committee (www.clearedtodream.org or Education@alpa.org), which has a PowerPoint presentation to guide you as well as items you can use for classroom giveaways. Then it’s on to the school and inspiring the next generation.

“If these kids are the future of our profession, we’re in a good place,” said Lansberry. “They’re really bright, and they’re full of energy.”