Aviation Magnet

AVIATION & AEROSPACE ENGINEERING MAGNET

Vision Statement

The mission of the Aviation and Aerospace Engineering Magnet Program is to provide sound academic preparation for high school, college and beyond, while affording valuable career readiness experiences in the fields of aviation and aerospace. Students will be immersed in a rigorous academic core coupled with a variety of career-relevant electives complemented by student involvement in such real-world work experiences as career-site field trips, job-shadowing, mentor programs and internships.

Academic Overview

Orange County Public School, through the Oak Ridge High School Aviation Magnet, is committed to providing high quality, hands-on college and career readiness experiences and will assist in meeting the future demand in the aerospace industry by engaging our students in a rigorous, engaging, and comprehensive curriculum.

Students can earn a variety of industry certifications as they learn the skills necessary on new high-end, professional-grade simulators.

Comprehensive partnerships have been developed to support this program. They include but are not limited to the

following:

  • TEQ Games- Software development and program support
    Department of Defense - Funding

  • Lockheed Martin – Simulators, grants, enrichment opportunities, and real work experiences

  • Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division (NAWCTSD) – Metrics and enrichment

  • Various Colleges and Universities - partnerships with major universities including scholarship opportunities.

  • Young Eagles/Experimental Aircraft Association - Scholarship based Ground School licensing at Orlando Executive Airport.

  • National Black Coalition of Federal Aviation Employees (NBCFAE) - Mentoring, aviation field trips, and scholarship opportunities.

  • Greater Orlando Aviation Authority – Field trips, hands on experiences, and guest speakers

Employment Outlook in Aviation and Aerospace

There is expected to be a huge job deficit in the aviation and aerospace industry from now until 2030.

440,000 pilots (Boeing report)
660,000 technicians (Boeing report)
40,000+ aerospace engineers (Wharton report)
With 2,000 companies in aviation and aerospace, Florida has the second largest share of the nation’s aviation and aerospace business, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, and Northrop Grumman, four of the largest and most significant companies in aviation and aerospace, have worksites in Central Florida.

Florida has valuable industry assets including 22 airports of 10,000+ feet, two spaceports, and advanced space vehicle, payload processing, and launch/landing facilities – supporting a full range of industry activities, from R&D, to testing, to service.

Florida’s 19 commercial airports account for 10% of the nation’s total passengers and enplane about 8% of the nation’s air cargo.

PricewaterhouseCoopers reports Florida is the number one state for aviation manufacturing attractiveness.

Florida is home to 20 major military installations.

Consequently, there exists an increasing need to provide relevant educational experiences for young people interested in aviation and aerospace in order to provide future workers for industry growth right here in Central Florida.

Benefits of the Program

Students who participate in the Aviation and Aerospace Academy Magnet Program will have the opportunity to experience or receive the following:

• Classroom and enrichment activities
• Flight simulator instruction on military-grade flight simulators
• Career related extra-curricular activities and volunteer opportunities
• Field trip opportunities and site visits
• Job shadowing
• Internships
• Scholarships

Requirements for Admission

1. Complete the online OCPS Magnet application
2. Minimum 2.5 GPA
3. Strong school attendance record
4. Positive behavior record

Additionally, all applicants are expected to meet the overall standards of Oak Ridge High School and Orange County Public Schools, as well as exhibit the exemplary behavior associated with involvement in a rigorous academic program.

Students “ACE” their introduction to aviation from JetBlue on Vimeo.

Our students are wonderful mentors. Our Aviation & Aerospace Engineering Magnet students spent the day teaching Durrance Elementary students about rockets! Watch this nice OCPS video about their work.

Contact Information

For more information about the Aviation & Aerospace Magnet email:

Richard L. West
[email protected]
Aviation Magnet Teacher

Curricular Documents

Aerotech Course Progression.pdf

Students are very curious about flying. See how OCPS students are exploring the science and technology behind aviation through the Oak Ridge High School Aviation and Aerospace Engineering Magnet. It’s featured on WUCF’s SciTech here.