Growth in aviation and aeronautics throughout Oklahoma prompted Norman Public Schools to invest in its aviation program, which it hopes will gain altitude with the passing of a bond issue that goes before voters on Feb. 14.

Grayson Ardies, director of the Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission, said the state has positioned itself as a leading locale for aviation, aeronautics and aerospace.

In 2017, the organization published a study that indicated aviation and aerospace comprise the state’s second largest industry.

He said that the three largest Oklahoma-based employers in the field are Tinker Air Force Base, American Airlines in Tulsa, and the FAA Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center.

Ardies said that aerospace and aviation employs about 120,000 people who work directly in the field and 85,000 who work in support positions for a total of 205,000 jobs. When the study was completed, the average salary for those working directly in the field was $73,000 a year

“Those numbers have gone up considering the overall economy of the state,” he said.

Ardies said that aviation is popular in Oklahoma because the industry has provided stability in a state that has been dominated by oil, energy and agriculture, the profit margins of which fluctuate.

“Aviation and aerospace in our state, though we have our own boom-and-bust cycle, it isn’t as boomy or busty as other industries. A lot of people and the legislature have looked at aviation and aerospace and say that this is the industry that can lead us to have economic diversity in our state,” Ardies said. “This can help us provide good quality jobs that will be there and won’t be such a roller coaster ride. We’ll be able to sustain jobs in the long term.”

Since Tinker AFB opened in 1941, it has led Oklahoma’s aviation culture, and currently it employs 30,000 people.

“It is the state’s largest single-site employer. You have every job you can imagine at Tinker,” he said. “It is its own little city. It has engineers, pilots, maintenance workers, and that’s just the direct jobs.”

Indirect jobs include medical workers, security, maintenance, and restaurant and food services.

Other top Oklahoma-based aviation employers include Boeing, Spirit Aerosystems, Flight Safety International, Pratt & Whitney, and L3 Harris Technologies.

Ardies is concerned that without local talent, aviation and aerospace employers will have to woo workers from out of state, which is why he is enthusiastic about the Oklahoma Aviation Academy at Norman Public Schools.

Paula Kedy, aerospace and aviation education coordinator at Oklahoma Aeronautics Division, is reaching across the state to introduce a free aviation curriculum to Oklahoma high schools.

“In 2017, there was one school teaching the (Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association) curriculum. As of now, there are 57, and the Norman Aviation Academy is one of them,” she said.

Current freshmen at the aviation academy are the first class to adhere to the curriculum, and most of the current students are preparing for jobs that don’t involve flying airplanes.

“People think when they go to the aviation academy, the only career path ahead of them is being a pilot. Nothing can be further from the truth,” she said.

Ardies said that for every one pilot in the air, there are seven or eight workers in the industry who are helping them from down below, and Kedy said that many of the students at the aviation academy won’t work directly with flight.

“The curriculum does not tie students just to total aerospace and aviation. They are learning pre-engineering, high-level math, and high-level science,” she said. “It’s the true STEAM field. A student has lots of options after going into the academy. They don’t have to become pilots.”

She said that many students do get their pilot’s license, which they can do at 17 years old, and it gives them an advantage when applying for jobs and school after they receive their diplomas.

“That puts them ahead in post-secondary education. They will enter a program ahead of everyone else because they have their license,” she said.

Kate Vahlberg of Vote Yes for Kids, a grassroots parents advocacy group, said that the OAA will offer hands-on experience to students and allow them to improve STEAM outcomes.

“The Oklahoma Aviation Academy is such an incredible opportunity for our kids. Oklahoma is ranked near the bottom in STEAM, and yet aviation is the number two industry in our state,” said Vahlberg. “The OAA bridges that gap, giving our kids immersive opportunities to prepare them for whatever future they choose.”

Justin Milner, NPS chief operating officer, said that OAA will provide career opportunities for students beyond high school.

“I hope people understand the voluminous opportunities that are within the scope of aviation and the aviation industry,” he said. “It’s not just about pilots.”

In the NPS 2023 bond issue, which voters would have to pass with a 60% supermajority, $32.75 million will be allocated to build a stand-alone facility for the OAA at the Max Westheimer Airport. NPS Superintendent Nick Migliorino said that the passage of the bond is necessary to sustain the academy’s growth.

“We have more than 100 students as part of OAA in just its first year, and if the 2023 school bond passes, we will be able to construct a stand-alone building that would allow us space to continue to expand this opportunity to more students,” Migliorino said.

Terry Adams, director of the OAA, said that the University of Oklahoma has offered space, and $20 million from state and federal funds through the Norman Economic Development Coalition if the bond passes.

“Buying a piece of property would probably cost about $5 million, so it saves us a lot of money. It’s a really good deal,” said Adams.