Aviation View | Volume 2, Issue 1

111 AVIATION VIEW VOLUME 2, ISSUE 1 LAKE WALES MUNI C I PAL A I RPORT reading to them about the industry. Two youth leadership groups in Lake Wales meet at the library, and the librarian takes them on tours to different departments around the city. When these individuals tour the airport, Kirby heads the tour of adults and teenagers. The main draw to creating this educational outlet at the airport is that it’s more remote for pilots to learn the ropes, compared to the commercially-active Lakeland Linder International Airport. Over the last year, the airport has been operating the VirTower system, which is a virtual tower at the airfield. VirTower tracks all movements at the airport 24/7, and maps a geofence, which allows about is just on the doorstep.” A few local high schools already offer aviation programs incorporated into the curriculum. The concept for the master plan is to turn the dedicated area into a satellite campus for a local educational institution, where students could complete these lessons. The airport’s end result and goal for this collaboration with the community is more talent, better economics in regard to fuel sales, generating a love for aviation, and much more. Kirby gets personally involved in generating aviation interest in the local youth, even