Rising Aviation HS - Interview with Principal Houston & Asst. Principal Fitzgerald
On November 11, I had the privilege to speak with the principal Mr. Donnie Houston and the assistant principal Mr. Brent Fitzgerald of Rising Aviation Highschool in Addison Texas. Mr. Houston has served as a lead teacher, department head, assistant principal and executive director in schools all over the country. Mr. Fitzgerald has served over a decade in public education and has worked at both FAA Part 141 and FAA Part 61 flight training operations. He has also provided flight instruction to new pilot hires of major Chinese Airlines, including China Southern Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, and Hainan Airlines. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Joshua Kupietzky: What is your background in aviation?
Donnie Houston: Well, I'll go ahead and go first. I have very little background in aviation. My background is in the field of education, business development, and league leadership. I've been in this business for over 20 years. I've run schools in Arizona, and here in Texas as well. However, I am under the tutelage of my friend here, Mr. Fitzgerald. I'm a student studying to get my drone pilots endorsement.
Brent Fitzgerald: And once he gets finished with that, then we'll move him over to the airplanes. So my background in aviation: it's always been something I had a passion for as a child. And then finally once I had some income, I decided I might as well take some flight lessons. I received my private pilot's certificate, and I was still on the fence about going to the airlines, I wasn't really sure how to do that. And if it was worth my time. I was in education for a while, but towards the, I guess, end of that chapter. In my career, I was like, hey, I want to maybe look at doing this professionally. So I decided to go out and get all of my certificates and ratings that would enable me to get to the airlines at some point. So that was about three years ago, when I went out and received my commercial instrument and flight instructor certificates.
JK: Mr. Houston, how did you get into the field of aviation if your background is in education?
DH: Well that is a very interesting question. How I got into this is very unique. When I applied, I applied not knowing that there was going to be a relationship between myself and one of the schools that I used to run in Tucson, Arizona. The founder and CEO had taken over this school that I used to run in Arizona. Neither one of us knew about each other. But as I put that on my resume, he looked at it and said, you could be the person that used to run East Point High School. And so I reached out, he reached out, we called, we connected and so we kind of built a relationship. And we had a meeting of the minds and we both understand the importance of the work that we're doing here. And not only the importance of the work, we really understand that it's something that's really needed, not only here in the DFW area but for students practically around the country. And so we decided to bring our skills, talents and expertise together to provide that opportunity for students.
JK: Are there plans to expand this type of school to other states?
DH: Absolutely. Absolutely. We really believe that our brand of education is so unique and so valuable and so needed in this time that we plan to go to other states and really take this across the country.
JK: Do the school have any partnerships with airlines such as American and United, and if not, do you plan to create them?
BF: We're wanting to establish these partnerships. And just recently we were talking with the American Airlines cadet program, and they understand the value in us being a pipeline to really help recruit people at the high-school, teenage years. So right now, no partnerships other than just a few informal talks, but it's definitely something that we want to have down the road. And I think there's going to be a lot of willingness with the big players. Because we're the ones that have the first step of their aviation journey—in high school, they're getting their private pilot's certificate.
JK: How many of your students are like you Mr. Houston, getting your drone pilot's license, and how many of them are getting their private pilot's license?
DH: Well currently, we have one student in particular that's going for his private pilot license. But I believe it's Mr. Fitzgerald's goal and vision that at least every student that comes here will at least have the opportunity to apply and write the test for the drone license.
BF: So every student in our vision would leave us with either a private pilot certificate or a remote pilot certificate. And the students may not at the moment think I'm going to use this remote pilot certificate for something, but it will definitely open up doors that they don't realize at the time. Just to have that in their back pocket as they leave us and go on into their post-secondary careers, they'll soon discover the doors that it does open. There's so many different options out there.
DH: And we know everyone that comes may not want to be a pilot and may not even qualify to be a pilot. But one of the things that we believe is that, you know, our brand of education, our holistic approach, will prepare students to be successful, regardless of what they do, whether that's in aviation or whether that's in another field of study.
JK: And how many students are currently at the school?
DH: Well, currently we have 10 students, but we do anticipate that number to increase as more people in the DFW area find out about us, and we're starting to really ramp up the marketing. And so as we gain more of a foothold in this space, I have no doubt that we will get a critical mass of students who really want and appreciate this brand of education that we offer.
BF: And there's a lot of interest already picking up where people are looking into next school year. That's kind of where we're at. We expected in the spring to really start seeing that increase in people looking and wanting to find that school for the 2022 and 2023 school year. Again, the word is just kind of getting out to people.
DH: In addition to that, we are currently in the process of applying for a Texas charter. One of the things that we want to do—and this is really the vision of Mr. Meaghan, the owner—is to ensure income or finances are not a barrier to provide students with a high quality STEM education. And so we decided, as a team of leaders, to really aggressively go after the Texas charter. And once that happens, then instead of being private and being able to charge a tuition, then it will be free and it will be funded by the state tax dollars.
BF: We want to be game changers, and part of that is breaking down the barrier to aviation, a lot of that barrier is the cost. So that's one thing we want to try to eliminate early in the game for these future aviators
JK: That is so important. I think the reason a lot of people don’t pursue a career in aviation is the cost. And I believe getting the Texas charter is such an important part to opening a career in aviation for many people.
BF: Me personally for myself, too. That's what really kept me from doing it early in my life—just the cost. I couldn't justify doing it at the time.
DH: For me, being an African American male, I didn't even know this type of opportunity existed. If this opportunity would have existed, I definitely would have taken advantage of a one hour show, but I didn't know the opportunity existed if it did, and no one made those opportunities available to me. So sure, we want to make sure everyone gets an opportunity for this, but we really want to go after students who have historically been disenfranchised, and have really been left out or locked out of the ability to really harness the skills needed to take advantage and be successful in this global marketplace.
JK: Are all your planes owned in-house or do you rent them?
BF: We do own them, and that's what's unique about us—we own our own planes in-house. We don't outsource to another flight school. We do it all within our school here.
JK: How many aircraft does the flight school have and is the flight school at an airfield?
BF: That's another unique part. We're here at the airport, where we live and breathe aviation on a daily basis...We currently have two aircraft: We have a Diamond DA40 Diamond Star, and we have a Evektor Harmony Light Sport.
JK: And do you guys have plans to increase your fleet size and get larger aircraft in the future? Or are you going to stick with the same ones?
BF: We definitely want to expand or grow our school, so that means we're going to have a larger fleet. We're not quite set on a model yet, but what we do want is to have modern aircraft, so students who are training now on avionics that will be familiar to them later on. So we just want a state of the art, safe aircraft. That's our main focus at the moment. As our student body increases, definitely we're going to increase our fleet size.
JK: Is this high school the first of its kind where it is both a high school while also giving students the opportunity to obtain a private pilot's license?
DH: I don't believe we're the first to do it. I think some of the district schools do offer aviation, but our brand of education is so unique, especially this year. We're located right here at the airport, and when we do tours, what I like to tell parents and students is you are pretty much right there on the runway. It's one thing to study about it in the book; it's another thing to immediately be able to apply those concepts and skills that you just studied about to a real world situation. And that's what we can offer here at Rising Aviation.
BF: I'll jump in and say, I've had my eyes on aviation high schools for quite some time, back from when I was a teacher exploring what's out there. There's one in Seattle. I know there’s another in Aspen, Colorado. Their school district has an aviation program that offers flight, but I think we are the only one that is actually at an airport that has our own aircraft. I could be wrong, but I like to think that we are the first one.
JK: Are there plans in the future at all to offer a higher license, such as twin engine isolate, to get your students all the way up so they could be a commercial pilot?
BF: We can offer students an instrument rating in their commercial single engine and down the road sure, we could add on the multi-engine component. But for now, we want to set on something attainable, so we're looking at a private pilot certificate, and if they achieved that during their 11th grade year and they're here their senior year and have time, then sure, they're ready to get their instrument rating. You know, we can have them ready by the time they're 18 to be a CFI [certified flight instructor] —start building the hours for the airlines, and they're ready to go as soon as they reach the age to get the ATP certificate.
JK: How long would it take for a 9th grader to build up to a private pilot's license?
BF: So when the students come in at 9th and 10th grade, we're really building on the foundations of aviation, and we're looking at everything from the history of it, the origins of aviation, the different careers that are out there, so that students can start exploring these different avenues.A lot of times we think of just being a pilot, and you don't realize all the hundreds of other careers that go on behind the scenes. We're trying to expose everybody to what's out there. And then they can start narrowing their path down to what they want to pursue. So the flight training will really come more the 11th grade year and beyond, because you have to be 16 to solo an aircraft and 17 is the age for private pilot's license. That's why we look at 11th grade as the beginning to start work on that. But we're laying the groundwork and foundation in the 9th and 10th grade levels.
DH: Like I said earlier, we know that not everyone will become a pilot for whatever reason. We did an exercise a couple months ago, and we determined that it was at least 200 jobs to move an airplane from Addison airport, where we're located right now, to Phoenix, Arizona. Those are jobs that I like to call above and below the wind. There will be a cornucopia of opportunities for students who are interested in this industry.
JK: What is the most rewarding aspect of your current jobs?
DH: You know, I don't have enough time to actually answer that. There's so many things I enjoy about my job. But I think if I had to narrow it down to one in 60 seconds, it would be being a pioneer, laying the groundwork, and doing the heavy lifting. Because I know long after I'm gone, this place will still be around educating and training the next generation of aviators.
BF: For myself, I mean, there's so many rewarding aspects of this job in so many different ways. If I'm looking at the flight side, just being able to help these students blaze their pathway at this age so that they can actually go out soon after they leave high school and start a rewarding, fulfilling career in aviation.So for me, it's showing students how to get there and that it doesn't take that much time really, if you set yourself to it and you've got dedication, and you're motivated, you can achieve it. You could be an airline pilot, or being the military in a few years out of here, and those years go by fast
DH: And we really want to resurrect what it means to have a high school diploma. Instead of just giving them it and then they're left to their own devices, graduates are walking out with real skills, real credentials, where they can really compete in this global economy immediately. Across this country, there's been a huge problem with high school dropouts, and one of the reasons why is because the way we approach education is old and antiquated. Here at Rising Aviation, we're giving students something that they can now touch, feel and see, that's very tangible, and very valuable.
JK: Are there any plans to bring your program into, let's say, public school districts?
DH: We've been talking to a couple of school districts here and other state's about being a service provider and doing just that. That's another thing that's kind of on our docket, but as I said earlier, we're so new, our first day of operation was August 9 of this year.We've covered a whole lot of ground since August 9, but we still have a lot more ground to cover. One of the things that I want to do as the leader is to really develop a plan and a system for systemic growth. You know, it's one thing to get there, but it's another thing to stay there. All those things that you mentioned and we talked about that we're not doing, they're definitely on the table for discussion and there will be plans to put those things in place.
JK: What are your long-term goals for your careers, and also what are the long-term goals for Rising Aviation?
DH: As you know, I just wrote a book. And so one of my long-term goals is to continue to hone in on my public speaking skills. The other thing for the school is really to grow it, and not just growing in sheer numbers, but really adding value. And what I mean by that is opening up opportunities for students in areas that can be easily accessed. We're looking at opening up a location in the South Dallas location that will serve some of the students that we really want to go after. The other thing is, when I'm 10 or 15 years from now, when I'm long gone, I want to leave this place better than when I found it. I want to make sure that it has the ability to sustain itself; I want to pass this on to the next leader, and then they can take it and do even bigger and better things that Mr. Fitzgerald and I have done.
BF: So here's how I would like to see this:I'd like to see in a few years that we have our former students come back as airline pilots and military officers, and they come talk to our students and they say, “Hey, you know, we were here, we went to your school, we were in your place a few years ago, and here’s what we're doing now.” That to me is what I'm looking forward to seeing as my vision. I want people when they fly in here to Addison, to see our building, and to think hey, there's that aviation high school. I want that to be the word around the nation, and really the world as well. So that's what I'm looking forward to. As far as myself, I'm right now I'm helping both my education aviation backgrounds together, as long as I'm doing some of the aviation. I'm super happy. And you knowI’ve found out life's a journey, and aviation's a journey. I'm going along for the ride.
JK: What advice do you have for young people who are trying to start a career in the aviation industry?
BF: I would say starting at a young age in high school, start showing leadership and dedication to studying aviation, because there's a big knowledge component of it, and setting those habits early is gonna make you a successful aviator. And again, no matter what in aviation you're gonna be doing, you'll be a successful professional when you get down the road. And even just being a good citizen—that goes a long way, airlines are looking for that. They want to know what your character’s like. It's very important. You've got a huge responsibility, flying a multimillion dollar aircraft with hundreds of people onboard. You're going to get ups and downs in flight training and your aviation career, but you’ve got to have persistence. Keep on going, don't give up.
DH: For me, one word: discipline, discipline. Any person, or individual, who has done anything great has mastered the art of discipline. And I would tell them to really focus on the soft skills, because this is a people business. You know, most people are not successful at their jobs because they can't do it. Most people are not successful because they lack some people skills. Those are some of the things that I would tell young people to focus on—discipline regardless of what you do; you have to have a high degree of commitment and discipline to be successful.
