{"id":34269,"date":"2026-02-23T16:15:36","date_gmt":"2026-02-23T16:15:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/?p=34269"},"modified":"2026-02-23T16:17:10","modified_gmt":"2026-02-23T16:17:10","slug":"westmoore-high-school-wins-inaugural-oklahoma-high-school-aviation-state-championship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/state-news\/oklahoma\/westmoore-high-school-wins-inaugural-oklahoma-high-school-aviation-state-championship\/%20","title":{"rendered":"Westmoore High School Wins Inaugural Oklahoma High School Aviation State Championship"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>In a historic weekend for Oklahoma education and industry, Westmoore High School has been crowned the first-ever Oklahoma High School State Aviation Champions. The Jaguars secured the title at the event hosted by the Oklahoma Department of Aerospace and Aeronautics (ODAA) and FlightSafety International in Tulsa.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"593\" height=\"314\" src=\"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Westmoore-HS-Wins.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-34270\" style=\"width:466px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Westmoore-HS-Wins.jpg 593w, https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Westmoore-HS-Wins-300x159.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 593px) 100vw, 593px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Westmoore High School placed first among 12 teams at the first annual Oklahoma High School Aviation State Championship. The event was hosted by the Oklahoma Department of Aerospace and Aeronautics (ODAA) and FlightSafety International in Tulsa.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>The championship held Feb. 20\u201321 at the Tulsa Community College Southeast Campus, brought together 12 finalist teams from across the state. Students participated in flight simulation rounds, showcasing their technical skills and aviation knowledge during the competition. Saturday morning, the top four advancing schools \u2014 Ada, Newcastle, Union and Westmoore \u2014 faced off during the final rounds, culminating in the noon awards presentation and Westmoore High School earning first place. Other awards included:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>1st Runner Up: Ada High School<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>3rd Place: Union High School<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>4th Place: Newcastle High School<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>5th Place: Cache High School<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>6th Place: Wyandotte High School<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>7th Place: Oklahoma Aviation Academy (Norman)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>8th Place: Marietta High School<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Semi-Finalist: Pryor High School<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Semi-Finalist: Haworth High School<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Semi-Finalist: Collinsville High School<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Top Gun Aviators:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Cash Goodwin, Ada High School<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Logan Wiggins, Oklahoma Aviation Academy<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Chase Will, Oklahoma Aviation Academy<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Michael Hall, Cache High School<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Ahmad Zubaidi, Union High School<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Top Gun Instructor: Ms. Erin Hansen, Marietta High School<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Most Valuable Pilot (MVP): Jack Donahoo, Newcastle High School<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Oklahoma Aviation Spirit of Aviation Award: Stillwater High School<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cSeeing these students compete at such a high level reinforces why Oklahoma leads the nation in high school aviation education,\u201d said Grayson Ardies, ODAA executive director. \u201cWe are intentionally building a pipeline from the classroom to the cockpit, ensuring the next generation of aerospace professionals is cleared for takeoff in Oklahoma.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Aerospace and defense is Oklahoma\u2019s second largest and fastest-growing industry. The state ranks first in the country in the number of high schools teaching the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) curriculum. This event is a key part of that effort, reflecting the state\u2019s focus on developing and retaining a quality workforce that will supply the necessary channel to ensure this industry can become our state\u2019s leading economic driver.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>ODAA Statewide Aerospace STEM Education Manager Paula Kedy credited state teachers for the program&#8217;s growth. \u201cWe treasure our partners who provide the curriculum, flight simulators, and necessary resources for this special event, but let\u2019s not forget the dedicated Oklahoma educators who bring lift to the program. These teachers have stepped up to lead these students, pouring countless hours into the program and bridging the gap between the classroom and the industry. This championship is as much a celebration of their commitment as it is of the students\u2019 achievements.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In addition to Friday\u2019s semi-final practice and competition, the participants toured FlightSafety International\u2019s Broken Arrow location where students saw firsthand the aviation training company\u2019s simulation technology that is used by commercial and military organizations around the globe. Students also toured Tulsa Community College\u2019s Aviation center where they learned about the school\u2019s Air Traffic Control and Professional Pilot Programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cMy students were genuinely surprised and incredibly excited to advance through each level and eventually take first place,\u201d said Norman Crowe, Westmoore instructor. \u201cThey are deeply thankful for the opportunity provided by FlightSafety International, the ODAA, and the taxpayers of Oklahoma who support programs like this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As the Jaguars return home with the inaugural state trophy, the event stands as a reminder that in Oklahoma, the sky is not the limit \u2014 it is just the beginning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/oklahoma.gov\/aerospace\/aero-education.html\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/oklahoma.gov\/aerospace\/aero-education.html\">ODAA<\/a> is responsible for the development of the state\u2019s air transportation system and the promotion of the aerospace industry, through infrastructure, safety, and the growth of the state\u2019s aerospace workforce through innovative STEM initiatives.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In a historic weekend for Oklahoma education and industry, Westmoore High School has been crowned the first-ever Oklahoma High School State Aviation Champions. The Jaguars secured the title at the event hosted by the Oklahoma Department of Aerospace and Aeronautics (ODAA) and FlightSafety International in Tulsa. The championship held Feb. 20\u201321 at the Tulsa Community [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[144,98,56],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-34269","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-aerospace-education","category-aviation-education","category-oklahoma"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34269","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34269"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34269\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34272,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34269\/revisions\/34272"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34269"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34269"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34269"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}