An example of a panel hosted by CCA for students to learn more about the different kinds of aviation careers. Photo courtesy of California Capital Airshow

SACRAMENTO REGION, CA (MPG) — With its choreographed planes shooting through the sky, leaving contrails that draw out shapes and letters, the California Capital Airshow (CCA) is a popular event that Sacramento residents look forward to each fall. 

While the air show is the leading initiative carried out by the non-profit organization of the same name, there are additional opportunities throughout the year for students interested in pursuing a STEM career. According to their website, CCA is “dedicated to building pathways for youth, strengthening community connections and honoring the aviation heritage that shaped our region.” This is achieved through “immersive experiences, mentorship, scholarships and STEM-focused opportunities.” 

Sacramento’s aviation history stems back to the building of the Sacramento International Airport in 1967 to replace the Sacramento Executive Airport. It was the first public-use airport built from scratch west of the Mississippi River. While originally a domestic airport, international flights were added in 2002. 

The region has also been home to several air force bases including Mather Air Force Base. Established during World War I to train pilots and navigators, it became a strategic air defense site before converting to a cargo-focused civilian airport in 1993. McClellan Air Force Base served as a major West Coast supply and maintenance depot for the Air Force and was Northern California’s largest industrial facility before closing in 2001. Franklin Field was previously a bomber training site during World War II. Today, the site is a general aviation airport where student pilots can learn to fly. 

CCA honors this history by providing opportunities for students interested in aviation to get involved. They host youth programs such as Girls in Aviation Day, which aims to give women who have been historically underrepresented in aviation, hands-on experiences. CCA also holds a STEM Expo to inspire middle and high school students through interactive breakout discussions with leaders from the nation’s top STEM and aviation companies.  

“The California Capital Airshow’s nonprofit programs are designed from the ground up to remove the barriers, financial, geographic, and motivational, that prevent underrepresented students from pursuing careers in aviation and STEM,” said CCA in an email statement. 

The non-profit also offers internships to high school and college students interested in aviation, engineering, communications, event management, public safety, nonprofit leadership and military careers. Through this internship, students learn airport administration and operations, on-airport safety and coordination, communications and PR, community engagement, event production and hospitality management. 

One of CCA’s opportunities for STEM-focused students is a $5,000 scholarship that goes to students applying to or attending a four-year university, a two-year community college, junior college, trade school or a technical training program. The deadline for this year’s application was May 1.

Oliver Barnes, a current freshman at UC Davis, received the scholarship last year which is helping him pursue a major in aerospace engineering. 

“We used to go to the airshow all the time,” Barnes said in regards of how he found out about the scholarship. 

Barnes long-term goal is to work on planes, and he would like to work in Seattle at Boeing. His advice for any students interested in a similar career path is to pay attention to school and to network and make as many connections as you can. 

“Every one of these programs is designed around a simple belief: that young people who get direct access to aviation — to the planes, the professionals and the possibilities — leave seeing themselves differently. We want every student who comes through Mather Airport this summer to leave knowing that this world is open to them,” said Darcy Brewer, CEO of CCA.  

For more information, visit californiacapitalairshow.com/