Air Force helicopter visits West High engineering students

Students at West High received a treat Friday afternoon when an UH-1N Huey helicopter landed behind the school in a practice field, giving the Aerospace Engineering students a rare opportunity to tour a helicopter and talk to a pilot and flight crew. On Feb. 16, members of the Air Force flew the helicopter from its base at Minot, North Dakota, making a pit stop at Iowa State University before landing at West High. The planned stop was a collaboration between the Air Force and West High’s aerospace engineering class, taught by Keith Kraeplin. Mr. Kraeplin, who has taught aerospace engineering for four years in addition to other engineering classes, said the chance to examine a helicopter up close was a great opportunity for exposure to the field of engineering, which could, in turn, help students solidify career ideas before picking a college major. “(It’s) making sure that they have a chance to see what’s out there,” he said. “If they pursue it and like it, they can pursue it even more.” Mitch Gross, West High principal, said that while it is important to learn the theory behind engineering, seeing it in action can add a new level of depth. “There’s a lot of good opportunities in aerospace engineering, and we hope to propel students into fulfilling careers,” he said.

'This is an option'

Excited students shivered on the windy field in hoodies, taking turns asking the flight crew questions and scrambling into the fuselage to take selfies with their friends and examine the cockpit area. The helicopter crew made the pit stop on their way to a North Carolina maintenance depot for retrofittings and reconfigurations for the helicopter, which receives maintenance every couple of years. The planned stop had a dual purpose, said Air Force Captain Nicolas Sanchez, aircraft commander of the Huey. It was a chance for the Air Force to promote recruiting efforts and aviation exploration for high school students.

“(This) allows students to see something they wouldn’t see everyday, as opposed to a recruiter just talking to students,” said Capt. Sanchez. “Having a physical aircraft, like at an air show, does a lot to get them interested and hyped up.” It’s good for students to know that aviation can be an option, he added. Capt. Sanchez has been an active duty member since 2018 and has flown helicopters for the past four years, something he doesn’t take for granted and wants others to experience. “Flying is one of the best jobs I’ve ever had, and I don’t want to gatekeep that. I want people to know this is an option,” he said. The Air Force reached out to Mr. Gross in January to request a visit, which coincided with the aerospace engineering class taught that semester. Capt. Sanchez said his squadron participates in school stops one-to-two times a year.

ICCSD and hands-on experiential learning

Quinn Hedt, West High junior enrolled in the aerospace engineering class, wants to pursue the field as a career post-graduation, although “more on the space side,” he said. “(I want to) work on rockets, satellites, anything related.” To accomplish this, he is taking an AP physics class and plans to enroll in UI’s astronomy class next year as a supplement to his learning. “It’s really cool to see the helicopter in person, all these little components–they were all engineered by someone. Every little thing was taken into consideration,” said Aaron Das, also a junior enrolled in the class.

The engineering classes are part of the Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs at the Iowa City Community School District, whose goals are to provide students with information about careers and develop employability skills. Students are provided opportunities in business education, family and consumer sciences, industrial technology, and Project Lead the Way, which involves STEM opportunities. Russ Johnson, work-based learning facilitator with City and West High, said the state of Iowa requires schools to provide career opportunities, and districts are responsible for career-related experiences. ICCSD would like to continue adding hands-on experiences for students, he said, and the helicopter tour was a great opportunity to do that. “It doesn’t often happen that you can connect the things the students are doing in class to real life experiences. It’s not often that they see a piece of aircraft,” he said.