At Southwest Airlines, we’re committed to bringing America’s future leaders unique learning opportunities by committing our resources and time to inspire students and help them define, articulate, and plan for future success.
Our award winning Adopt-A-Pilot program was introduced in 1997 as a supplementary way to educate students through aviation-themed activities related to Science, Geography, Math, Writing, and other core subjects.
From February through May of each year, students in more than 1,500 classrooms across the country will “adopt” Southwest Airlines and AirTran Airways Pilots, giving our passionate aviators opportunities to mentor students in and around the fifth grade level. As part of the Adopt-A-Pilot program, students will also research careers and further develop life skills, while the importance of staying in school is reinforced. Southwest Airlines is pleased to offer these opportunities at no cost to the participating schools.
Landing one of Southwest's red bellies at Greenville-Spartanburg on March 12 to kick off Southwest's inaugural weekend celebration was just the beginning of Captain Bert Godwin's involvement in his hometown airport. Last month, Captain Godwin took his Adopt-A-Pilot class from Westcliff Elementary school to the GSP airport to have the opportunity to experience aviation first-hand.
