Students at Faith Lutheran High School will soon be soaring to new heights thanks to a new $1.1 million classroom and aviation lab for the school’s Odor Family Flight Academy on the way.
Las Vegas design-build firm KGA Architecture has been hired to build the 1,700- square-foot classroom, which will go up on the northwest corner of the main classroom building, accommodate up to 30 students and have its own entryway.
Construction is projected to finish Dec. 15 and occupancy is set for January 2022.
The new classroom will feature two five-screen flight simulators and eight Redbird TD2 flight simulators with three viewing screens. The table-mounted simulators, approved by the Federal Aviation Administration, place the yoke, switches, gauges and visuals in the correct and most realistic position for the pilot. The Redbird TD2 represents a generic single-engine piston aircraft. Users can choose to fly with or without retractable landing gear, constant speed propeller or high-performance engines.
Acoustical sound panels resembling an airplane hangar’s interior will be mounted on classroom walls; propellerlike panels will be mounted on ceilings for noise absorption and visual effect. The space will also display a collection of aviation memorabilia.
Faith’s flight instructor and professional pilot Bianca Lorenz provided critical input in both designing the curriculum and the space.
“This classroom will give us the space and resources we need to provide future pilots with the best education possible. This will be where we lay the foundation of their training and provide them with the skills to succeed in the aviation industry, said Faith Lutheran Oder Flight Academy instructor Bianca Lorenz. “As the travel industry comes back from the effects of Covid, we will see an unprecedented demand for well-trained pilots . The Oder Family Flight Academy at Faith Lutheran will be able to help meet that need by producing highly skilled and competent pilots through faith, family and opportunity.”
Students will connect with peers, join field trips and on-campus meetings and see presentations by outside speakers. Club members will also serve others, working with nonprofit agencies through aviation-specific activities.
“Faith Lutheran is committed to pushing academic boundaries for the sake of our students’ passions and futures,” said Faith Lutheran High School Principal Scott Fogo. “The Oder Family Flight Academy and it’s new Flight Lab is another example of the unique experiences that make learning both pertinent and interesting for our students.”
Under the current Flight Academy program. Faith Lutheran students have use of simulators to fly a plane, use aviation instruments and adjust their flights as weather changes. The school has 10 flight simulators and lets students earn up to five flight hours before finishing the course.
Faith Lutheran officials collaborated with flight experts to create the Flight Academy.
“Based on our research there is a well-documented impending shortage of pilots in the United States, and we wanted to get out ahead of it,” said Faith Lutheran CEO Dr. Steve Buuck. “Flying can also be a catalyst for philanthropy as goods can be transported to those in need around the world, and we want our students prepared to serve in that capacity.
About Faith Lutheran High School’s Oder Family Flight Academy
Faith Lutheran’s Flight Club and Oder Family Flight Academy, launched in the 2020-21 school year, extends students’ learning about aviation outside of the classroom and connects with aviation professionals to spark lifelong interest in aviation. The Academy was founded with a $200,000 seed gift from the Oder Family and the school is pursuing other donors for the aviation room. Those interested in learning more can contact Scott Fogo at [email protected].
About Faith Lutheran Middle School & High School
Faith Lutheran Middle School & High School is Nevada’s largest private school and the largest Lutheran school in the United States, serving more than 1,900 students from the Las Vegas Valley and abroad.
The school, on a 50-acre state-of-the-art campus near Downtown Summerlin, offers advanced middle school and high school college preparatory curriculum and extensive athletic, fine arts, and after school activities in a distinctively Christian environment.
Faith Lutheran’s unique high school academies program includes Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM), Justice & Advocacy, Business & Entrepreneurship, Film & Broadcast, Hospitality & Tourism, Christ Academy, Oder Family Flight Academy and the Conservatory of Fine Arts. The school is dedicated to its mission statement of Everyone Prepared! Everyone Saved! and is fueled by its core values of Family, Academics, Innovation, Truth and High Achievement.
Faith Lutheran is accredited by AdvancED and the National Lutheran Schools Accreditation. Learn more at www.faithlutheranlv.org.
