Student visits bring Lynden into the cockpit, classroom

Transportation jobs at Lynden were the focus of two ‘spring break’ events in Alaska and Arizona. For many years, Lynden Air Cargo has invited students to tour its facility and aircraft to learn more about aviation careers and the importance of air freight delivery in Alaska. In April, 24 students from the Excel Alaska Program arrived at the Lynden Air Cargo hangar in Anchorage ready to learn. The Excel program is a key component in supplementing the Career and Technical Education (CTE) curriculum in rural Alaska school districts. "We were happy to host this event and enjoyed meeting the students," says Lynden Air Cargo Vice President of Technical Operations Ethan Bradford. "We are always looking for good people to work in aviation. We may find some of these students working for us soon!"

Excel Program Coordinator Jamie Klaes noted that the aviation culture feels like one big family, and the visits to Lynden each year support that. "It’s fun to build those friendships through aviation. The students came back very jazzed about aircraft careers after their time at Lynden. We truly appreciate support of our program and look forward to bringing more students in the future."

Driver Michael Byers traveled all the way from his job with Alaska West Express in Prudhoe Bay to Arizona to talk with fourth and fifth graders as part of a career day assembly at his daughter’s school.

"During a recent parent-teacher conference, I was asked if I’d be interested in presenting at an assembly for students at Black Mountain School in Golden Valley, AZ," Michael says. "I tried to make my presentation as engaging and informative as possible for the kids by using a lot of pictures."

The day was ‘awesome,’ Michael reports. "It was such an amazing group with excellent questions. There were even other parents that heard about the presentation and showed up to see it. I highlighted the importance of ice roads, not just for the oil fields, but for delivering essential supplies to remote villages. I brought stickers with eight different designs featuring various types of Lynden equipment, including tractors, lifts, landing craft, hovercraft, and tractor trailers to leave with the students. They were a big hit!"

Michael Byers