“I used to be scared of flying,” said eighth grader Ike C.

The middle schooler isn’t alone. Many Americans (experts estimate anywhere from 15% to 40%) have some level of anxiety about flying, which most work to manage—though few have taken the same path as Ike. He conquered his fears by studying aviation at Rowland Hall.

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“I’ve taken the drone class and introductory and advanced flight,” said Ike, referring to three of the Middle School’s current aviation classes. Ike said learning how airplanes work, including how they stay airborne, played a major role in easing his anxieties and completely changed how he thinks about flying.

“I have a test flight on Tuesday,” he said. “I’m looking forward to getting in the air.”

Ike’s story is just one of hundreds of positive experiences middle schoolers have shared since Rowland Hall’s aviation program was established by retired Navy pilot Bill Tatomer in 2009. First introduced as a six-week elective, this ever-popular program has continued to grow. Today, the division offers four classes: Primary Flight School, which introduces students to the field; Flight Design, an engineering course focusing on aviation design; Advanced Flight School: Top Gun, a deep dive into operating private and commercial aircraft, including drones; and Advanced Photography and Drone Photography, added in response to students’ excitement around the emerging world of drone technology. The program has also expanded to the Upper School, allowing interested students to continue their studies into their high school years—some have even gone on to earn their Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Part 107 commercial drone operator license and FAA private pilot license.

“It’s a very rare experience in Utah,” said Bill, and one that gives students choice and voice in learning. Students can dip their toes in with the primary class, then choose to go deeper in advanced courses. The deeper they go, the more opportunities they have. Middle schoolers first learn on X-Plane 11 flight simulators, earn their FAA TRUST certification to fly drones, and, by the advanced class, pilot a real plane alongside Cornerstone Aviation instructors. Rowland Hall is also the only school in the state that takes field trips to Collins Aerospace, where students learn from software and design engineers.

Whether or not a student dreams of working in the industry, it’s no surprise why these classes have stayed popular year after year: they provide fun, hands-on ways to learn the science and mathematical principles that make flying possible. As a former math teacher, Bill believes practical applications of material are the best ways to help students understand concepts—as well as inspire more meaningful learning.

It’s no surprise why these classes have stayed popular year after year: they provide fun, hands-on ways to learn the science and mathematical principles that make flying possible.

“It’s tactile,” he said of why this approach works. “You can touch, and see a reaction, versus someone telling you about it.”

And aviation offers a bounty of tactile learning experiences that help students grasp concepts—like engineering a foam board glider to protect a raw-egg passenger or conducting fluid and pressure experiments to understand Bernoulli's principle. It’s no wonder so many middle schoolers get hooked.

“I remember learning about Bernoulli's principle and the four forces of flight—lift, weight, thrust, and drag—and being mesmerized on how these principles can keep thousands of pounds of metal in the air and flying,” said eighth grader Zoe H. And, added Ike, these lessons help make connections across subjects. Like Zoe, he called out Bernoulli's principle, noting that the knowledge he built in aviation prepared him to revisit the topic when his science class was studying physics. It also goes the other way, said Ike, like when he used the skills he sharpened in math to accomplish flight tasks such as figuring out an aircraft’s weight balance.

Aviation benefits aren’t limited to STEM, though. These classes also build skills in areas including critical thinking, collaboration, working under pressure, and public speaking.

“Taking aviation helped me overcome my discomfort with speaking publicly. We do this whole unit on communication and how to use your voice,” said Ike. He also appreciates the life skills nurtured in class, like when Bill taught students the difference between a professional and a “dead fish” handshake.

“Most of the time it’s not like he’s teaching us how to fly. He's teaching us how to live our lives,” said Ike.

Hearing about experiences like this, it’s easy to understand why Bill has continued to share his love of aviation in the classroom rather than make a move to the commercial airline industry (his initial plan after retiring from the Navy). He said he’s grateful to be at a school where he has the time and flexibility to tailor lessons to bring out the best in his students—and, often, watch them blossom with confidence as they tackle tasks not often associated with the middle school experience. “That’s probably the most rewarding,” he said. “That’s why I’m not flying for an airline.”

My confidence has grown so much, in ways that I never would have expected it to.—Zoe H., class of 2029

Zoe can certainly attest to this. As she wraps up her Middle School aviation classes (she plans to take more as an upper schooler), she reflected on just a few of the aviation tasks she can now do with confidence: run preflight checklists, communicate with tower and ground crews, read runway signs and markings, and stay nimble while in flight.

“My confidence has grown so much, in ways that I never would have expected it to,” she said. “What I have learned about myself is that I can do the unexpected, even if it seems impossible at first.” 

It’s an experience Zoe can’t wait for others to have.

“For students considering the class but nervous to take it, just do it, because you can do the unexpected, even if it feels impossible,” she said. “Trust me, you will have so much fun and learn so much.”