On September 29 a group of young Yupik students greeted House Transportation committee members at the Yuut Yaqungviat flight school in Bethel. The flight school trains young people for careers in commercial aviation.

Bethel is Alaska’s 3rd busiest state run airport. With more cargo landings than Fairbanks, 56 villages in the region are served through the Bethel hub. As we listened to stories of the school’s success, the roar of continuous flight activity could be heard from the nearby runways. According to Director Will Johnson, "The advantages of having pilots native to this area are tremendous. Familiarity with terrain, weather, and culture are some of the things the local native pilots already have."

Prior to the school’s formation, pilot turn-over was high, and jobs opportunities scarce. A partnership between the Association of Village Council presidents and private industry is now providing opportunity to dozens of young people in the region. Local air carriers guarantee employment to licensed graduates with starting salaries of $50,000. Typically it takes 18-months to complete the program.

A recent graduate of the school piloted the Haagland aircraft that we chartered to the villages of Chefornak, Kipnuk and Nunapitchuk. Our objective was to see firsthand the pressing needs of smaller communities that face challenges of isolation and environment. Transporting gravel, for instance, and then building on shifting tundra pose enormous engineering hurdles.

In the years ahead, federal transportation funding is expected to change. A major rewrite now underway is not favoring rural states like Alaska where transportation development is still in its’ infancy. For this reason, the Alaska Legislature is investigating supplemental means of financing our enormous backlog of transportation projects, including revenue and general obligation bonding.

As we departed, the view from the air was beautiful. In the fall, the tundra is red and orange. The Kuskokwim River weaves its’ way through a landscape of thousands of lakes and ponds.

A common thread that runs through many of the legislative committees that I serve on is the need to train Alaskans for the jobs that will keep Alaska strong. The Yuut Yaquangviat School demonstrates that the investment of education is life-changing. Individuals are set on a positive course, and in the process, whole communities are uplifted through the experience of seeing their young people become leaders and role models. In the villages, pilots are the heroes. Seeing sons and daughters in these roles is very inspiring.

Chefornak, Alaska