Spartanburg airport and science center celebrate 100th student in youth aviation program

Terry Connerton, director of the Spartanburg airport, presented the Spartanburg Community Aviation Program to council on June 23, describing a six-year partnership with the Spartanburg Science Center that exposes students ages 16 to 20 to careers in aviation.

Connerton said the program began in 2019 and has now served more than 100 students. He described a multi-week curriculum in which small cohorts of six students attend Sunday sessions covering aircraft mechanics, air traffic control, commercial piloting, airport planning and maintenance, military aviation pathways, gliders, aerodynamics and drone operations. Connerton said staff also emphasize hands-on experiences — students fly in aircraft during the program and visit partner facilities at Donaldson and Greer.

Students who completed the program spoke briefly to council. Christopher George told members, "This program overall is great. It really does show the science behind aviation and all the different aspects... it's free." Other students described the program as inspiring, noted the depth of training and praised the small class size. Connerton said each student receives a commemorative paver installed at the airport and a program shirt.

Connerton said the only requirement is that students be age 16–20 and that applicants write a short essay describing why they want to participate. He said classes run three times a year with six students per class and staff select participants based on essays rather than grades. Council and audience members applauded the student presentations and posed questions about scheduling and enrollment procedures.