July 2025
Youth Aviation Academy Graduates Second Class
For four weeks in June, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport hosted its second Youth Aviation Academy for 30 students ranging from 13 to 18 years old. The program partnership, which included nonprofits New Pathways for Youth and the Support Sky Harbor Coalition, provided a youth and their mentor with the opportunity to see first-hand what it takes to run a major international airport and tour various behind-the-scenes areas of the airport. Highlights included touring the PHX Unified Command Center, attending a special Police K-9 demonstration, discovering how technology plays a role in airport operations, touring the airfield, and visiting the Rental Car Center where the group saw the famous, huge Paul Coze mural – “The Phoenix.” The final program session was a visit to the PHX Airport Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting (ARFF), with a tour of the largest fire station in the state of Arizona, Fire Station No. 19, where the Academy graduates received their certificates.