Pacific Aviation launches district coursework after FAA workforce-development grant

Pacific Aviation Northwest told the Three Rivers School District board it has begun offering aviation education programs for high-school students after receiving a federal workforce-development grant.

Jenny Jackson, Pacific Aviation Northwest’s outreach and career coordinator, and lead instructor Ethan D'Amato described a grant-funded program that upgrades training equipment and brings in-school aviation coursework. The program includes a private pilot preparatory course (designed to get students ready to pass the Federal Aviation Administration written exam) and a Part 107 drone operator course that allows a trained student, once certified, to be paid for commercial drone operations.

Ethan D’Amato said the fixed-wing curriculum covers a broad set of skills — weather, airspace and basic aeronautical knowledge — and that the program’s intent is to expose students to industry pathways beyond airline careers, such as firefighting, air ambulance and charter work. Jackson and owner Lena Traeger said the program is customized to each school’s scheduling and emphasized that Pacific Aviation aims to deliver instruction on school campuses rather than require students to travel to the airport for classes.

The presenters said classes are already underway at several regional high schools, with the first cohort including students from North Valley and Grants Pass high schools. The presenters noted that aviation training is cost-intensive and said they are working on financing options tailored to student goals, including pathways targeted to airlines, cargo, forestry and other aviation careers.

Why it matters: The program offers local career-technical options tied to a documented workforce shortage in aviation. The FAA-supported grants are intended to build long-term school-business partnerships and give students direct routes into paid aviation roles.