Charting career flight plans

• By CHANTE DIONNE WARREN
• Advocate staff writer
• Published: Jun 20, 2009 - Page: 1B

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When Keenon Batiste, 12, made his first visit to the air traffic control tower at the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport on Friday, he watched the movements of a plane on a radar screen.

Moments later, Batiste grabbed a pair of binoculars to get a closer view of the airplane.

“I see it. Cool,” said Batiste, who pointed at a private plane, followed minutes later by a commercial airliner.

Batiste joined 29 other students, ages 12 through 17, who were participants in, “Do You Believe You Can Fly” Aviation Youth Clinic, which is part of a three-day Southern University Ag Center Family and Youth Expo program which ends today, said Edna Lastrapes, youth agent for the center. The clinic introduces students to the world of aviation, she said.

Students visited the airport’s control tower where air traffic controller Jeremy Fort and other tower controllers guided students through the tower and radar control room.

Fort said he changes to different posts in the tower about every two hours.

“They don’t want you to get fatigued because you’re dealing with safety,” he said.

Air Traffic Control frontline manager Chris Wilbanks said the tower helps plane traffic flow smoothly.

“When there is a control at the airport, we know exactly where every airplane is and we provide the traffic advisories for the airplanes,” Wilbanks said.

Students also visited the tarmac area where U.S. Coast Guard Lt. Junior Grade Craig Johnston gave students a tour of an MH-65C Dolphin helicopter. 

Batiste sat in Johnston’s pilot seat and pressed buttons on the control panel. Though he had never flown, Batiste told Johnston that he would like to learn to fly aircraft.

“Once you learn it, it’s like riding a bike,” said Johnston, who is in six weeks of training to learn to fly the helicopter.

Johnston said U.S. Coast Guard pilots provide search and rescue help, maritime law enforcement, humanitarian relief and much more.