Students Visit Yellowstone Airport

July 1, 2022

As the school year was winding down for the students at West Yellowstone Elementary School in late May, a visit to the Yellowstone Airport gave the 2nd and 4th graders an exciting end-of-the-year activity. The field trip provided students the opportunity to see what daily life is like at the airport. After arriving at the SkyWest airlines ticket counter, students received a pretend boarding pass and went through the security checkpoint. Security officers showed them the computer screen when luggage went through the xray machines followed by a trip through the metal detector. Then, they went out onto the ramp where they learned basic marshaling signals from the SkyWest operations employees. Later, students toured the airport fire station, toured the Air Methods medical transport helicopter, flew flight simulators and drones, and finally climbed through the airport firetrucks. They even got to try out one of the hoses on the firetrucks as well as build and fly their own mini wooden airplanes. For many of the students, this was their first trip to an airport and many reported interest in wanting to work in an aviation field. Montana Aeronautics proudly supports students in Montana and encourages their participation and interest in aviation. Field trips like these can be the first spark to a life-long career in the field!