GULF SHORES — When it comes to education, Gulf Shores City Schools Superintendent Matt Akin wanted to bring the learning experience of students to new heights.

The Gulf Shores High School Aviation Academy, which is open to all high school students and includes courses such as mechanics of flight, aerospace engineering and aircraft maintenance, is a way for students to get hands on experience with aviation. After almost a year of construction, Aviation Academy students watched their Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approved airplane take its first flight across Baldwin County.

"Our (Gulf Shores City Schools) core values talk about giving students opportunities to really study what they want to study," Akin said. "The goal of this program is to attract students in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) field and let them actually build on airplane."

Tango Flight, a nonprofit that helps students with hands-on training, gave an airplane kit to the students who are a part of the program.

On May 1, over 100 people gathered at the Gulf Shores International Airport to watch this metal, two-seater aircraft take flight. Alabama State Superintendent of Education Eric Mackey was the first person to fly above Gulf Shores.

Aviation Academy Instructor and former GSHS student Haley Kellogg assisted students who are part of the program by teaching them the ins and outs of aviation.

"What we really need in the aviation industry with the way that it is growing, we really need pilots, but we really need mechanics to work on the planes," Kellogg said. "Getting them (the students) that kind of exposure and then that could possibly lead to internships for them is huge in paving the way for this growing industry."

For students like GSHS Class of 2023 graduate Cody Rhoades, the program sparked his passion for aviation.

"A lot of the stuff we are doing is building wings and large sections of the plane, so it was a lot of hands on and big projects," Rhoades said. "It was super interesting, and I really took to it. I guess I did well enough that they recommended me for a scholarship and ended up getting a scholarship that paid for my entire private pilot's license."

According to Akin, Tango Flight will take the airplane in June to sell it, and a kit to build a second aircraft will be coming to the high school, giving more students a chance to spread their wings and explore new opportunities.