Ft. Worth (WBAP/KLIF News) – The Fort Worth Independent School District has opened an airplane hangar built at Dunbar High School. The hangar will complement the school’s aviation program, which aims to help kids find work in aviation when they graduate.
“What we’re wanting is people who are career-minded right from the very beginning,” says Bell Helicopter’s Rohn Olson. “If they have that mindset to do critical thinking and problem-solving in high school, it’s perfect for what we’re looking for.”
Bell Helicopter employs about 4,600 people in Ft. Worth. Lockheed Martin plans to move production of the F-16 to India but will transition its line for the plane at its plant in Ft. Worth to accommodate greater demand of the F-35.
At Dunbar, students say they look forward to more hands-on work.
“When I was a freshman, we complained a lot about having to sit in a classroom and not having hands-on experience because we like the work,” says Camerin Williams, now a senior at Dunbar who wants to become an air traffic controller. “My teacher is burning the fuel for my love and passion of aviation.”
At Bell, Olson says experience at Dunbar can give the company access to a more skilled workforce, saying Bell and Fort Worth have a strong partnership.
“We want to look at a resume that shows a young man has had his hands on a wrench, has fabricated something on his own,” he says. “We’re in this together. We want this to be a strong aerospace community.”
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