We visited the Kansas State University College of Technology and Aviation in Salina. We were greeted by our host for the day Beth Shearer, Director of Development, in the lobby of the immaculate College Center building.  One of the first things we noticed was the professional bearing of one of the students who was serving at the Information Desk.  He was a student who had completed his Commercial Pilot schooling and he is a fine addition to society.

Since we arrived at the lunch hour, we were treated to lunch at the college cafeteria where "Dandy Don" was surprised with a birthday cake and the entrire population of the cafeteria singing Happy Birthday.  The official tour began with David Delker, Head of the Engineering Technology Department walking us through the various classrooms and labs to talk with the students. His dedication to the curriculum was obvious as he spoke of the challenges of keeping pace with technological advances.  The full spectrum of technological fundamentals is provided each student.

We then met with Marlon Johnston, a retired Air Force B-52 Radar Navigator, who heads the Aviation Department where the college trains pilot as well as aircraft maintenance students.  Upon graduation, the student pilots are ready to acquire their private, commercial or instrument certificates while the maintenance students receive their A&P (Aircraft & Powerplant) licenses.
One of the most intersting exchanges we had was a question answer session with a class of aircraft maintenance students.  They paid rapt attention to those life experiences of the "real world" that the Chiefs portrayed to them. They were the most attentive young people we had seen in many years.
We were also pleased to sit in on a class of student pilots and discussed their uniform policy, their expectations, ambitions and future plans as well as to share a few insights we had to the "real world" of aviation.