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CAT Tracks for May 8, 2009
HOPE - ON A WING AND A PRAYER |
From the WSIL TV Channel 3 Website...
SCC Aviation Day
By: Debra O'Neil
ALEXANDER COUNTY- Cairo Regional Airport hosted an Aviation Career Day Thursday. It was to promote a new program that will be offered in the coming year by Shawnee Community College in partnership with SIU.
Leaders hope to spark students' interest in flight. Until today, there's probably never been so many visitors to the Cairo Regional Airport. Aviation exhibitors flew in planes like this WW II bomber, and the SEMO and SIU skydiving clubs showed their skills all to welcome students to this Aviation Career Day.
In the next year Shawnee College plans to team with SIU for a new aviation program, President and CEO of Illinois Communication Board says, " We think it's a great opportunity to this area and for the students down here. It gives them the opportunity to become future pilots if they're interested, and maybe future airline mechanics."
When you mention jobs in the Flight industry, most people think of the pilot, but in the world of Aviation, there are a lot more opportunities than just flying the plane.
Currently most aviation maintenance jobs are overseas, the idea of offering classes through Shawnee Community College, is to help bring more of those types of jobs into the Cairo area.
Larry Peterson says, " They want a future, they believe in a future, and this is going to give them some hope and that's the main thing that we're about here today, it's more than aviation, it's giving people hope."