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Fayette County airport director proposes 'Rise Above' mobile exhibit, seeks community sponsors
Summary
Rusty Bliss, Fayette County Airport director, proposed bringing the "Rise Above" traveling exhibit and aircraft display to district schools to mark Black History Month and tie into the Sept. 26 Thunder Over Fayette air show; Bliss said hosting costs are about $14,000 and he seeks community sponsors, not district funding.
Rusty Bliss, airport director for Fayette County Airport, told the Fayette County Public Schools committees that he would like to bring the traveling "Rise Above" interactive exhibit and aircraft display to the district as a Black History Month educational opportunity and to coincide with the sixth annual Thunder Over Fayette Air Show on Sept. 26. Bliss said the program honors the legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen and the Women Airforce Service Pilots and focuses on perseverance and aviation career awareness.
Dr. McPherson introduced Bliss and confirmed the district already houses a flight simulator within a STEM class, which Bliss said could be incorporated into expanded aviation programming. The mobile exhibit would include a theater presentation and structured student rotations over multiple days, with about 25–30 students per group each hour.
Bliss estimated the cost to host the exhibit at approximately $14,000 and said he was not requesting board funding; instead he asked the district to help identify community sponsors and to consider alignment with CTE and STEM programming. Board members commended the air show's growth, discussed possible airport expansion and school partnerships, and were invited to attend the air show.
The next step identified in committee was informal coordination between district staff and the airport to explore scheduling, transportation, and potential sponsor outreach; no formal board funding decision was requested at this meeting.
