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San Antonio Airport System inspires aviation careers with mobile flight simulator

The simulator will be available at two upcoming events in September.

By Brandon Rodriguez on Thu, Aug 31, 2023 at 1:15 pm

Courtesy Photo / San Antonio Airport System

A flight simulator student sits while an instructor tells him what to do.

Throughout the summer San Antonio Airport System's mobile flight simulator has been making touch-and-go departures around the city, spawning interest for careers in aviation for San Antonio's disadvantaged youth.

The program, which began in 2022, offers young aspiring pilots and those interested in aviation an opportunity to sit in a pilot’s seat to experience what it’s like to fly a plane.

“The whole idea is to inspire kids to aim high and to see the many career pathways that exist in the aviation industry,” said SAAS's Eric Warner in a media statement

One of the success stories of the program is Mariana Lozano. The 19-year-old received a $36,000 scholarship to attend the Tuskegee NEXT Summer Flight Program following her interest in San Antonio's mobile flight simulator. The program includes eight weeks of aviation training in Chicago, where she obtained her Private Pilot License and Commercial Drone Pilot Certification.

Last month the simulator arrived at the Ella Austin Community Center, where teenagers spent time learning to use the high-tech simulator as they practiced taking off, flying and landing.

The mobile flight simulator's next stop is the Air Force's Air Education and Training Command's inaugural Torch Athena Rally & Fly-In at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph at Kelly Field on September 21.

It will then head to Stinson Municipal Airport on September 23 for a Girls in Aviation Day event.

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