#035 - Taste it. Feel it. Do it.

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💡 THOUGHT

Taste it.

As a society, we have a weird way of looking at risk. We think it’s perfectly normal to let 15-year-olds take the wheel of these big metal boxes on the highway at 70 mph with no protections other than a seatbelt and their parents yelling at them. Yet many would balk at sending their child up in a small aircraft with a trained pilot at the helm.

The greatest skill you can teach a child is believing they can fly before society tells them they can't. Our latest podcast guest, Mark Hyatt, has been teaching kids to do just that - literally - through Falcon AeroLab, an OpenEd partner course that pairs an online curriculum with an opportunity to take a live flight with a trained pilot.

Does flying come with risks? Yes, and that’s why safety is paramount. But we can’t fall victim to the “Nirvana fallacy,” comparing something to an imagined world with no possible downside.

Ask yourself: Is it riskier to let my child do something that comes with some risk, or to shelter them from all risks?

– Isaac

📊 TREND

Feel it.

Ella was 12 when she took her first airplane ride with Mark at Falcon AeroLab. Her mother drove her 2.5 hours (each way) to Colorado Springs for classes.

By 14, she had soloed in gliders.

At 16, she soloed in powered airplanes.

At 18, Ella now holds a commercial pilot's license, an instructor license, and an instrument license. She was recently offered a job training Air Force cadets in Pueblo, Colorado (starting salary: $100,000).

Not only is Ella bucking stereotypes about females in aviation (only 6.8% of pilots in America are women), but also the notion that you need a college degree to be successful. With the labor shortages in the aerospace industry (Boeing, for instance, is struggling to find enough workers for its Dreamliner facility), programs like Falcon AeroLab are fast-tracking high-paying careers in skilled jobs that many never knew existed.

⚒️ TOOL

Do it.

Looking for an exciting way to introduce your child to the world of aerospace and aviation? Falcon AeroLab’s virtual curriculum is available to OpenEd students ages 12-18.

Learn from qualified industry professionals, including engineers, military and airline pilots, and drone operators. Courses like "Fundamentals of Aerospace" and "Introduction to Aviation" include a live flight experience.

Students can prepare for the FAA Private Pilot License written exam, valid for 2 years.

These courses are available to students with Exploring Technology, Engineering, Transportation & Distribution, or Industrial Arts on their approved schedule.

Parents can set up the flight experience using the Falcon AeroLab contact link. You'll receive contact information for flight experience vendors/facilities and can schedule individual flights near you.

(POST) OF THE DAY

Last week an awesome OpenEd student suggested we needed a mascot. We listened. Meet Ed the horse.

Reply "Ed" to this email or comment on Facebook to find out how you and your family can win some Ed-credible goodies!

(p.s. You rock, OpenEd families! Ed wouldn't exist without your awesome input.)

That’s all for today!

– Charlie (the OpenEd newsletter guy)