Coleman A. Young airport to house Detroit flight school with help of state grant

Renovations coming to Coleman A. Young Airport

Upgrades to a 53,000-square-foot terminal at the Coleman A. Young International Airport in Detroit means the return of the Davis Aerospace Technical High School.

(FOX 2) - It is about to get a lot cheaper and easier for aspiring pilots to get their aviation training in Detroit.

That's thanks to a partnership between Coleman Young Airport and Detroit Public Schools Community District.

Big picture view:

Upgrades to a 53,000-square-foot terminal at the Coleman A. Young International Airport in Detroit means the return of the Davis Aerospace Technical High School.

That was part of a major announcement by DPSCD on Monday in a bid to modernize the city's vocational curriculum by giving young people a chance at entering the aviation field.

Once the home of the technical high school, major stakeholders at the city airport stood next to aspiring teenagers, excited to say the educational center would be returning.

"We’re back," said Superintendent Dr. Nikolai Vitti. "And as we get better, the next generation gets better."

Local perspective:

Among those in attendance was Cayla Turner.

"When it came to flight training courses and everything like that, it’s like a college course," she said.

Another enrollee is Herbert Anderson, who couldn't think of a better feeling than when someone is flying.

"When I’m up in the sky it’s like I’m away from it all," he said. 

When he graduates, he'll have his pilot's license. But the opportunity goes beyond just getting certified.

"Honestly, flying plane is expensive. They'll charge you upwards of $100,000 just for training. But you get it through DPSCD for free and they treat you with respect so it's definitely a gamechanger for young black men. They just have to get out there,"  said Anderson.

What they're saying:

By improving the facilities, Vitti hopes the conversation around the school and ti's opportunities also changes.

"The conversation isn’t going to be ‘can we get students at Davis Aerospace’ it is going to be ‘we’ve ran out of room,’" he said.

The renovations will happen thanks to a state grant and other funding sources. The high school will officially open at the aiprot in the fall next year.

"This type of investment over $100 million into Detroit city airport is going to be huge," said councilmember Scott Benson. "It's not only huge for the students, but it's going to be huge for the jobs it creates. It's going to be huge for the revitalization of this airport."