KLRN chose to develop the AirFair site with Southwest Airlines, in part for the carrier’s ongoing work in education through the Southwest Airlines Adopt-A-Pilot program.

The Southwest Airlines program was inaugurated in 1997 with the help of former US Secretary of Education Richard Riley and former US Secretary of Transportation Rodney Slater. It is a four-week mentorship program where pilots volunteer time in adopted classrooms and correspond from the “road” via e-mail and postcards.

Using an official program route map, each class charts its adopted pilot’s course. Students incorporate regular updates sent by their pilots into the Adopt-A-Pilot curriculum provided. Official classroom materials cover such subjects as math, geography, science, creative writing, research skills, and career goal-setting.

In areas where adopted pilots can’t visit in person, schools can participate in Adopt-A-Pilot Online, where program materials can be downloaded as .pdf files, and classes can correspond via e-mail with Southwest Airlines pilots.

Southwest Airlines originally developed the Adopt-A-Pilot program in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Education, America’s Promise, the Smithsonian Institute’s National Air and Space Museum, and others in response to the need for community involvement in schools.

Now through Southwest’s partnership with KLRN, students have access to even more exciting online materials about careers in aviation.



Southwest Airlines developed the Adopt-A-Pilot program because we're serious about supporting motivated teachers like you - and about having fun! Each spring, more than 200 Southwest pilots volunteer as classroom mentors in every city Southwest serves. Through pilot interaction and program curriculum, students 10-12 years old get a real-life look at the application of math, science, geography, research, composition and more. Most important, students examine the value of education in pursuing their own goals.

Check out these links to learn more about aviation and related careers.

Southwest Airlines
Boeing Company
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
Deptartment of Transportation (DOT)
Air traffic control
Flight tracking
Explains how things work
Aircraft Owner’s and Pilot’s Association
Experimental Aircraft Association

Check Your Library for Additional Resources:
The Evolution of the Airline Industry, Steven A. Morrison
Planes, Donna Bailey
Just Plane Smart: Activities for Kids on the Plane and on the Ground, Edwin J. C. Sobey
Nuts! Southwest Airlines’ Crazy Recipe for Business and Personal Success, Kevin and Jackie Freiberg