Steward Bailey (center) is presented with the Aviation Educator of the Year award. Bailey was joined by his family members and Chairman of the Texas Aviation Advisory Committee Dr. Shelly deZevallos (2nd from right) and AVN Division Director Dan Harmon (far right).
Making an impact. It’s a phrase heard often but how often does one truly make a difference in a person’s life? Steward Bailey, the winner of the Aviation Educator of the Year truly embodies the spirit of this award.
Bailey is a Career and Technical Education instructor at Elsik High School in Houston, TX. He’s also a student pilot and a licensed Airframe and Powerplant mechanic. Over the last few years, he has built an aviation program at the high school using AOPA’s High School curriculum.
Thanks to his efforts, the school has partnered with Tango Flight and his students are now building an RV-12. This is a multi-year project that provides students valuable life skills such as patience, the ability to troubleshoot a problem, and how to work with other peers. Assisting with this project are a dedicated group of volunteer mentors from AOPA who donate the gift of time to help with building the plane.
He is a tireless advocate for his kids and rewards them with airplane rides as they achieve their goals. AOPA Ambassador Pat Brown provides those rides in his Cessna 182. Several of his students have taken and passed either their Private Pilot Knowledge Test and are nearing their check rides or have achieved their unmanned aircraft systems certificate. One of them has also been accepted to the flight academy at a major airline.
Students thrive when given opportunities. And Bailey has given his students the opportunity to thrive and discover a passion for aviation.