KGYY · 41°36′59″N · 087°24′45″W FALL 2026 LAUNCH

Cleared
For Takeoff.
Gary, Indiana.

A year-long high school dual-credit aviation pathway built in partnership with the Gary Area Career Center. Students graduate with FAA Part 107 certification, Private Pilot ground school completion, simulator hours, on-airport flight exposure, and a credential pipeline into the aviation careers our industry desperately needs.

Express Interest → See The Curriculum

// PAGE INDEX · JUMP TO ANY SECTION 06 SECTIONS

Two semesters, two FAA credentials

// 03

Outcomes

What students walk away with

// 04

Pathway

From cohort to cockpit

// 05

Partners

GCSC × GACC × Steel City Aviation

// 06

Express Interest

Add your name to the supporter roster

Sign on →

01 — The Mission

Why Gary.
Why Now.

Gary sits inside a region that builds, moves, and flies more than almost any in the country. We share a fence with an international airport. We sit in the shadow of the busiest airspace in the Midwest. The aviation industry is starved for trained pilots, mechanics, and certified UAS operators — and our students have been routed past every door that leads there. This program is the on-ramp.

// 01

A Workforce Gap, Locally

The aviation industry is projecting a multi-decade shortage of pilots, mechanics, and certified drone operators. Salaries reflect that demand. Gary's geographic position — adjacent to GYY and one hour from O'Hare — makes it a logical pipeline city for that workforce.

// 02

A Credential Stack, Not A Class

Students don't leave with a "drone unit" on a transcript. They leave with an FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate, completed Private Pilot ground school, simulator hours logged, and dual-credit alignment into post-secondary aviation programs at Purdue University, Vincennes University, Tuskegee University, Hampton University, the University of Wisconsin, and beyond.

// 03

An Equity Story, Told Forward

Aviation has historically been gated by capital — flight schools cost what most Gary families don't have. A school-based pathway breaks that gate. Talent here is not the constraint. Access has been. This program closes the gap during the school day, at no cost to the student.

02 — Program Structure

Two Tracks.
One Year.

The program runs five days per week throughout the GCSC academic calendar, structured into two daily cohorts so the program scales to twice the enrollment without doubling instructor load. Fall semester is fully focused on Part 107 UAS. Spring transitions to Private Pilot ground school with on-airport days and weekly simulator labs.

// COHORT A 08:30 → 11:00

Morning Track

2.5 hours per day · 5 days per week · capped enrollment

08:30Daily briefing · METAR / NOTAM review

09:00Core ground instruction

10:00Lab — chart work, simulator, or flight prep

10:45Quiz, debrief, dismissal

// COHORT B 12:30 → 15:00

Afternoon Track

2.5 hours per day · 5 days per week · capped enrollment

12:30Daily briefing · METAR / NOTAM review

13:00Core ground instruction

14:00Lab — chart work, simulator, or flight prep

14:45Quiz, debrief, dismissal

FALL · WEEKS 01 — 18

Part 107 UAS Operations

An accelerated, FAA-aligned remote pilot certification track. Students sit for the FAA Part 107 Knowledge Test in week 16 with a target cohort pass rate of 85%+. Graduates leave the semester certified to fly commercially.

14 CFR Part 107 regulations & operating limitations
Airspace classifications, sectional charts, LAANC
Aviation weather — METAR, TAF, density altitude
UAS aerodynamics, performance, weight & balance
Aeronautical decision-making — PAVE, IMSAFE, CRM
Mission planning & commercial UAS applications
Flight lab — preflight, mission, post-flight debrief
FAA Part 107 Knowledge Test (PSI/VUE testing center)

SPRING · WEEKS 19 — 36

Private Pilot Ground School

Instructor-led ground school aligned to the FAA Private Pilot ACS. Weekly simulator labs build stick-and-rudder muscle memory. Scheduled on-airport days at GYY introduce students to real aircraft, airport operations, and exploration flights with partnered CFIs.

Aerodynamics & aircraft systems — fixed-wing
FAR/AIM at the private pilot certification level
Cross-country navigation & flight planning
Aviation weather services & in-depth interpretation
Aircraft performance, weight & balance, loading
Weekly simulator labs — X-Plane / MSFS stations
On-airport days at GYY — exploration flights w/ CFI
FAA Private Pilot Knowledge Test prep & exam

03 — Student Outcomes

What They
Walk Away With.

Concrete, portable, industry-recognized credentials. Not certificates of attendance — actual FAA airman credentials, simulator hours that count, and dual-credit alignment that compresses a student's runway into post-secondary aviation programs and direct industry hire.

FAA AIRMAN CERT

Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate

The federal credential required for any commercial drone operation in the United States. Issued by the FAA. Permanent. Industry-portable.

FAA TESTING

Private Pilot Knowledge Test Pass

The written exam component of the Private Pilot Certificate, completed before students leave high school. Removes a major barrier to flight training entry.

SIM TIME

20+ Logged Simulator Hours

Documented hours on FAA-recognized flight simulator platforms. Builds procedural fluency, instrument scan habits, and decision-making before students touch a real cockpit.

ON-AIRPORT

Flight Exposure At GYY

Scheduled airport days at Gary/Chicago International — aircraft walkarounds, ramp operations, ATC tower visits, and exploration flights with partner Certified Flight Instructors.

DUAL CREDIT

Post-Secondary Alignment

Curriculum mapped to dual-credit articulation with regional aviation programs. Students enter post-secondary aviation with a head start, not a starting line.

A&P GROUNDWORK

Maintenance Pathway Foundation

Aircraft systems coverage gives students orientation toward the A&P (Airframe & Powerplant) mechanic pathway, an in-demand career where students can earn six-figure wages without a four-year degree.

PROFESSIONAL SKILLS

Aviation-Grade Discipline

Daily preflight briefings. Weather interpretation. Risk-based decision making. The professional habits aviation demands transfer to every career a student might pursue.

NETWORK

Industry Mentor Access

Partnered CFIs, A&Ps, working pilots, and aviation employers built into the program. Students leave with names and phone numbers, not just transcripts.

04 — Career Pathway

From Cohort
To Cockpit.

The program does not promise a career — it builds the runway to one. Students leave with the credentials and exposure to credibly pursue any of the routes below, with a far smaller financial gap than the traditional path requires.

// TIER 01 — IMMEDIATE

Commercial UAS Operator

With Part 107 in hand, graduates can immediately work as commercial drone operators in real estate, construction, inspection, agriculture, and public safety — including launching their own service business.

REAL ESTATE · INSPECTION · MAPPING · PUBLIC SAFETY

// TIER 02 — POST-SECONDARY

Professional Pilot

Graduates with PPL written passed and ground school completed enter post-secondary flight programs ahead of peers. Pathway leads to commercial pilot, ATP, regional and major airline careers.

CFI · CHARTER · REGIONAL · MAJOR AIRLINE

// TIER 03 — TECHNICAL

A&P Mechanic

Aircraft systems exposure orients students toward Airframe & Powerplant certification — a career path with strong wages, no four-year degree required, and lifelong industry demand.

MAINTENANCE · INSPECTION · AVIONICS · MRO

// TIER 04 — MILITARY

Military Aviation

Air Force, Navy, Marine, Army, and Coast Guard aviation pathways — flight officer, enlisted aircrew, UAS operator. Program credentials and discipline strengthen any military aviation application.

PILOT · AIRCREW · UAS · MAINTENANCE

// TIER 05 — OPERATIONS

Aviation Management

Airport operations, airline operations, dispatch, scheduling, ground operations — the non-cockpit careers that keep aviation moving and pay competitively for early-career professionals.

DISPATCH · OPS · GROUND · LOGISTICS

// TIER 06 — ENTREPRENEURIAL

Aviation Business Owner

Drone service company, flight school, charter operation, MRO shop, parts brokerage — the program builds both technical credential and operator literacy for graduates who want to build, not just be hired.

SERVICE · TRAINING · CHARTER · MRO

05 — The Partnership

Three Names.
One Pathway.

This program does not exist without the alignment of three institutions. Each contributes a piece. None of them is doing this alone.

// HOST INSTITUTION

Gary Community School Corp

Calendar, students, classroom space, instructional infrastructure, and the institutional credibility of a public school district committed to expanding the futures available to its graduates. The program lives inside the school day.

// CTE DELIVERY

Gary Area Career Center

Career and technical education delivery model, dual-credit articulation pipelines, industry advisory infrastructure, and the student-recruitment engine that fills both cohorts. The program operates inside GACC's existing CTE framework.

// CURRICULUM & INDUSTRY

Steel City Aviation

Part 107 curriculum authorship, instructional leadership, and the industry partnership network that connects students to working pilots, A&P mechanics, certified flight instructors, and aviation employers across Northwest Indiana and the Chicagoland region.

06 — Express Interest

Help Us Build
The Case.

We're presenting this program to the Gary Community Schools board for Fall 2026 launch. The strongest argument we can bring is named, documented community demand — students, families, educators, and industry partners who want this on the table. Add your name. It takes ninety seconds.

Who should sign: students who'd enroll, parents/guardians, current GCSC educators & staff, GCSC alumni, aviation industry professionals, and community leaders who want to see this happen.

// CLEARED FOR INTEREST

Express Interest In Gary Aviation Pathway

Take ninety seconds and tell us where you fit. Your response goes directly to the program working file presented to the school board.

Student or future student
Parent or guardian
Educator, administrator, or staff
Industry partner or community supporter

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