Connecting Our Airports to the Next Generation of Aviation

Sometimes it starts with a first flight. Sometimes it is sitting in a simulator, walking onto an airport ramp, meeting a pilot or mechanic, or hearing about a career you never knew existed.

For youth across the Roaring Fork and Colorado River valleys, Rocky Mountain Aero Group (RMAG) is working to create more of those moments and to make sure there is a pathway forward when curiosity turns into something more.

It is an idea captured in four simple words: Exposure leads to opportunities.

RMAG is a Western Colorado aviation and aerospace organization focused on building a regional pipeline between youth and the aviation industry. By bringing together airports, schools, flight schools, aviation professionals, businesses, nonprofits, first responders, and volunteers, RMAG creates opportunities for youth to experience aviation firsthand and meet the people who make it possible.

That work is rooted in local collaboration. Partnerships with Aspen Flight Academy (AFA), KGWS Sumers Airpark (Glenwood Springs Airport), and Colorado River BOCES/EPIC help connect aviation experiences with education, mentorship, industry expertise, and opportunities for youth to continue moving forward. Each partner brings something different to the table, but together they help make aviation more visible and accessible to families throughout our region.

RMAG is not a flight school and does not provide flight training. Instead, our role is to help youth discover aviation, stay engaged, and find their next step. For one student, that next step might be connecting with a local flight school. For another, it may be discovering a future in aircraft maintenance, engineering, airport operations, air traffic control, emergency response, or one of the many careers beyond the cockpit.

In many ways, RMAG is building the bridge between “I didn’t know that was possible” and “How do I get there?”

That bridge is already taking shape here at home.

In 2026, RMAG and community partners helped 35 youth take to the skies during a spring Young Eagles Rally at Sumers Airpark. Over the summer, the Build & Fly Summer Aviation Camp put aviation directly into students’ hands as teams built, programmed, and flew large radio-controlled aircraft while exploring aerodynamics, engineering, aircraft systems, teamwork, and careers.

Youth have also had opportunities to experience the commercial-airport environment at Aspen/Pitkin County Airport (ASE), learning about air traffic control, Airport Operations, ARFF, snow removal, and the people and systems behind the scenes.

Then, in September, RMAG partnered with the Rifle Garfield County Airport (KRIL) and hosted Runway to Adventure. An event focused on introducing the youths in the lower valley to aviation and the many opportunities out there. In just five hours, 70 students took to the skies; for many, their first time in a small aircraft and taking control of that aircraft; nine volunteer pilots completed 56 flights, and 95 passenger rides were provided.

But the real story is bigger than the numbers.

It is the youth who steps out of an airplane after a first flight, seeing the world and perhaps their future a little differently. It is the student who meets someone working in aviation and thinks, I too could do that. And it is making sure that when that spark happens, there is another opportunity waiting.

That is why RMAG’s work continues beyond individual events. The Rocky Mountain Young Eagles Club, serving youth ages 11 – 14, and Aviation Explorer Club – Post 777, serving ages 14 – 20, give youth a place to stay connected, continue learning, meet aviation professionals, and explore where their interests might lead.

Our Connection To ASE

RMAG also has a personal connection to ASE. Its founder, Ebenezer Henry, serves as an Airport Security Coordinator and the Credentialing Specialist at Aspen/Pitkin County Airport.

For him, working inside an airport offers a daily reminder that aviation is far larger than the cockpit. Every aircraft arriving or departing represents the work of an array of people across airport and airline operations, ARFF, security, air traffic control, maintenance, engineering, ground services, administration, planning, and countless other disciplines.

That perspective has helped shape RMAG’s approach. Flying may be what first captures a youth’s imagination, but the goal is to expose them to the entire aviation ecosystem and help them see that there may be a place for them within it.

RMAG’s work is independent of Ebenezer’s responsibilities at ASE, but his connection to both reflects a shared passion for aviation and for developing the people who will carry the industry forward.

And that is where our community comes in.

A regional aviation pipeline cannot be built by one organization. It takes airports willing to open their doors, educators helping us reach students, aviation professionals sharing their experience, organizations creating the next opportunity, and volunteers willing to give their time.

If you are an airport or county employee, aviation professional, educator, first responder, business owner, pilot, mechanic, engineer, or simply someone with experience worth sharing, RMAG would love to connect with you.

Become a mentor. Visit a club meeting. Volunteer at an event. Share your career. Make an introduction.

And if you know a youth who is curious about airplanes, airports, STEM, or aviation careers, send them our way.

They don’t need experience. They don’t need to know exactly what they want to become.

They just need the opportunity to discover what is possible, and together, we can make that introduction.