An airplane takes off at the Airlake Airport in Lakeville during the Momentum Aviation site visit. Photos: Aloft Aviation
Aviation program takes high schoolers to new heights.
Taking flight has recently gotten easier for high school students in Minnetonka. A new opportunity in Minnetonka High School’s (MHS) Momentum program could be a source of inspiration, excitement or even a career for students interested in learning more about aviation.
“I got to get into the plane, taxi to the runway and then I got to take off,” says junior Camille Peck of her first experience flying an airplane, just weeks after the 2023–2024 school year started. As soon as the aviation program launched, students were interested—very interested. Superintendent David Law says that nearly 200 students signed up for the first offering of Aviation I—much more than school officials expected.
Minnetonka High School junior Camille Peck participates in a discovery flight with Aloft Aviation. During the discovery flights, pairs of students flew with a certified flight instructor around the southern Metropolitan area.
One of the goals of the Momentum program is to provide high school students with high-quality programming that is not necessarily pointed toward a traditional college track. Looking at the highest-need areas in the workforce is one way to set students up for success. “There’s a huge need for pilots and people in the aviation industry moving forward,” Law says.
The demand for professionals in this field has changed some requirements for employment, too. (Some businesses no longer require pilots to have a four-year degree.) Additionally, Minnesota is a hub for Sun Country and Delta airlines, potentially making it a fruitful place to start in this industry.
Law is aware that not all students are going to end up being pilots. Regardless, the value of this program still stands strong. “One of the things we try and do in high school is give students some inspiration,” he says. Providing students with exposure to something they wouldn’t have had the chance to learn otherwise is part of the goal of offering this type of program.
Carl Berquist, a 1977 MHS graduate and owner of Aloft Aviation, gave Aviation I students exactly that exposure when they got to take discovery flights, which were their first flight with a certified instructor. After practicing with simulations, they got to take off—for real. Law even was able to try it out. He calls it an “unbelievable opportunity.”
The aviation program has already provided some valuable information about who is interested in this type of program and why it is important. Nationally, only 6 percent of pilots are female, but in MHS’s aviation program, 20 percent of the students are female, and it also represents all sorts of students, 10 percent of whom receive special education services. Law says that Aviation I is successful because it’s for everyone.
To learn more about the MHS Momentum program, which was highlighted in our August 2023 issue, check out our story, How Minnetonka High School Builds Students Up.
Minnetonka High School
18301 Minnesota-7, Minnetonka; 952.401.5700
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