An AAP Interview with "Adopted" Southwest Airlines Pilots
Pilot Ross has been involved in the Adopt-A-Pilot program for nine years -- he started with his youngest son's class back in 2001 and has been hooked ever since. The Little Rock Pilot has been in such demand that he's been adopted by multiple classes some years -- once working with an entire school full of sixth graders -- 101 students in all! Here, the Adopt-A-Pilot Crew interviews Pilot Lee Ross.
Q: Why do you volunteer in the Adopt-A-Pilot program?
A: I started doing the Adopt-A-Pilot program during my second year with Southwest Airlines. The students seemed to like the program and the teacher did, as well. She invited me to come back, and it continued from there. I've now completed nine years with the same class and have had many brothers and sisters come through the classroom. For a couple years, I volunteered in other classrooms, along with the school where my son attended. In every class I have found that the children are very interested in learning about careers, how we move about the country, and how airplanes fly. I have enjoyed sharing what I've learned about the need to continue an education regardless of the occupation that is selected and the excitement I feel when I go to work. Teaching one lesson a week is fun!
Q: What are funny questions students ask?
A: I have students ask the normal questions, like "Where is your favorite place to spend the night?" The funniest, at least to the students, is "Have you ever seen an alien spaceship?" This is usually asked at least once per class. I just have to say, "No, but I'll keep looking!"
Q: What do you most enjoy teaching to your students?
A: My favorite lesson is how airplanes fly. I usually save this lesson for last -- it's a fun one with lots of student interaction. I've added to the lesson by having the kids fold paper airplanes and seeing which one will fly the farthest -- works well in the auditorium where there is room to fly planes. I also like to talk about their career plans. I usually get blank stares when I first start talking about a career choice, but by the time we complete the homework and talk about their responses during my second visit, they are energized to find out more about what they want to do in the future.
Q: What's something you've added to the curriculum?
A: There is a lesson that was in the original Adopt-A-Pilot curriculum that I still use. It is an art lesson that emphasizes two-dimensional vision with three-dimensional thinking. I teach this lesson during my third visit to the class. The lesson uses art to demonstrate the type of thinking that an air traffic controller must use to keep traffic separated. I show the class how a single-dimension board, like a dry erase board, can be used to draw a picture with depth by using a single-point perspective drawing (the old rail road tracks and power lines that disappear into the horizon). Then I use the balloon pictures from the old curriculum to show how depth can come from size, shape and height of an object. I follow this with a discussion and drawing of how an air traffic controller uses a one-dimensional radar screen to form a three-dimensional picture in his mind of where and how airplanes move through his airspace.
I follow this with a short description of a flight profile from takeoff to landing and how many controllers I talk to on a typical flight. I emphasize the fact that only the tower controllers can actually see the airplanes that they control. Then, with the time remaining, I hand out a paper with three jets of different sizes that can be colored, cut out and then glued to a second piece of colored construction paper to form their own art using the concepts of size, height, and shape. This is a great one-hour lesson that lets the kids be creative and interact in what they have just learned. Plus, I've been able to introduce another career and show a normal flight profile all in one lesson. AAP Crew Note: For a PDF of the original AAP curriculum, contact us at adoptapilot@wnco.com.
Thanks Pilot Ross for your years of service and your inventive approach. If Pilots or teachers would like to be interviewed by the AAP Crew, drop us an e-mail at adoptapilot@wnco.com, and say "Interview me for the AAP Blog!"
