Tour: Ann Arbor Airport

Contact Person: Jerry Hartweg, self-employed pilot

To our great regret, Jerry passed away Feb 27, 2009. We will remove these pages soon but want to leave them up long enough for those who knew and loved him to read, one last time, this evidence of his selflessness and giving personality. Jerry had worked in tandem with Reach Out for more than a decade, quietly providing Ann Arbor Airport tours and aviation math activities for small groups. In 1999 and 2000, he was a career mentor in our joint program with the Downtown Ann Arbor Kiwanis members, through which Pioneer High School teens were taken through a six-week program of self-discovery and targeted career exploration. He voluntarily offered these career exploration services to scores of young people he did not know personally, simply because he believed they needed them and he could provide them. While he will certainly be missed, the ripples of his presence through other lives will continue to be felt. Our sincere condolences go to his family.

Brief Description: Are you interested in a career in the field of aviation? Jerry will be happy to take you on a tour of a local small airport to show you the many jobs and roles that are possible. You will meet small aircraft pilots, flight instructors, mechanics, control tower operators, and sales and office managers. Find out what training is necessary for any of these jobs and the options for getting it in our area. Jerry will also share the opportunities for owning your own company in small plane aviation, hiring and maintaining employees, dealing with marketing and sales.

Many people don't realize how many careers are in this industry. For example, you can become a certified pilot by completing both ground school and the mandatory flight hours with an instructor. Once you have this certification, you have many employment opportunities: the charter business and taking people to places they want to go, working with a company to fly customers and employees to different locations, flying for a package delivery company, working with a crop-dusting firm, or becoming a flight instructor. You can proceed with more formal training and course work to become a commercial airline pilot, too. Some people gain training on their own, through the military, or at a college like Ohio University, Purdue, or Western University.

You will see how mathematics, basic business skills, and weather knowledge are put into real use every day! Mechanics will share how their gift for understanding how things are made, broken, and fixed are applied to diagnosing engine and mechanical problems, conducting safety checks on planes, and actually repairing parts and engines. Air traffic controllers direct traffic at airports and in controlled airspace. They receive very specific training and are overseen by the federal government. Meet and talk with flight instructors who teach flying techniques in the air, provide ground school courses to student pilots, and train licensed pilots when they need more information or skills for continued certification.

Tour Length: 1–2 hours
Related Careers: Pilot, Flight Instructor, Flight Engineer, Air Traffic Controller, Aircraft Mechanic
Group Size: Up to 8 students and any number of adults/mentors (adult chaperons are always welcome)
Age Level: 7th Grade to Adult
Interests: Just aviation!
Previous Classes/Knowledge: None required, but it is helpful if you have some knowledge of weather, math, and basic business skills.

Biographical Information on Jerry