Hundreds of Sacramento Teens Meet Pilots, Mechanics at Mather Airport STEM Day

Hundreds of middle and high school students descended on Mather Airport Saturday for a free, hands-on look at careers in science, technology, engineering, and math, trading classroom lectures for face time with real pilots, engineers, and mechanics. The event, called Destination Aviation, ran from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and let students ages 12 to 18 explore exhibits, ask career questions, and meet working aviation professionals.

The program was organized by the California Capital Airshow, the nonprofit behind Sacramento's flagship annual airshow, according to KCRA. As the station reported, students spent the afternoon at hands-on exhibits and displays, peppering STEM industry leaders with questions about how to break into various technical fields. Essay contest winners were treated to an introductory flight ahead of the event and were later awarded a special prize, KCRA noted.

A Trailblazing Pilot's Message to Students

Among the speakers was retired Col. Merryl Tengesdal, whose remarks anchored the day's message that STEM skills open doors well beyond traditional engineering paths. Per the same KCRA account, Tengesdal told students that STEM is important even for artists because it involves math, sciences, critical thinking, and challenging norms. Tengesdal is the first and only Black female pilot in history to fly the U.S. Air Force's U-2 “Dragon Lady” high-altitude spy plane, according to BlackPast.org, and previously flew the SH-60B Seahawk helicopter as a U.S. Navy pilot before retiring after more than 23 years of military service.

Individual attendees walked away with concrete next steps. One student who attended told KCRA that the event sparked new interest in aviation as a career path, while another said she left researching aviation scholarships and opportunities she hadn't known about before.

Why Airshow Organizers Keep Investing in Youth Programs

California Capital Airshow CEO Darcy Brewer explained the reasoning behind events like Destination Aviation in comments to the Carmichael Times: a student can't pursue a career they don't know exists. Brewer added that hands-on interactions make career pathways real in ways a classroom cannot replicate. Destination Aviation is one of several free youth STEM initiatives the organization runs each year in Sacramento County, alongside the Positive Altitude event held in late May and the ACE Academy, according to the Rancho Cordova Independent.

Those programs are funded by proceeds from the nonprofit's flagship airshow, which draws over 100,000 attendees and generates an estimated $7.1 million in local economic impact, per the organization's history on Wikipedia. Founded in 2004 as a 501(c)(3), the California Capital Airshow has grown into one of the largest multi-day events in the Sacramento region.

A Workforce Pipeline for a Shrinking Talent Pool

The push to reach students early reflects a genuine crunch across the aviation industry. Boeing's 2026 Pilot and Technician Outlook forecasts that the commercial aviation sector will need 674,000 new pilots and 728,000 maintenance technicians worldwide over the next 20 years to cover fleet growth and retirements, as reported by AVweb. Boeing has separately projected that North America alone will need roughly 119,000 new commercial pilots and 123,000 aircraft maintenance technicians through 2044.

Gender gaps in the field remain stark, too. Federal Aviation Administration data published by Women in Aviation International showed that, as of December 31, 2024, women made up only 10.8% of total U.S. pilots, 5.5% of airline transport pilots, and under 3% of aircraft maintenance mechanics. Outreach events like Destination Aviation are aimed squarely at closing gaps like these by giving underrepresented students visible role models and direct access to industry professionals.

A Former Air Force Base Turned Community Hub

Mather Airport itself has a history tied to that mission of opening doors. The airfield was converted from Mather Air Force Base into a public commercial air cargo and general aviation facility in May 1995 under the Sacramento County Airport System, and it now regularly hosts community and educational events alongside its cargo operations. The venue is also gearing up for a bigger spotlight this fall: Mather Airport is set to host Thunderbirds as part of the 20th anniversary California Capital Airshow on October 10 and 11, an event tied to the nation's 250th anniversary celebrations.

For the students who showed up Saturday, though, the immediate takeaway was less about air shows and more about possibility. Between the exhibits, the flights for essay contest winners, and conversations with professionals like Tengesdal, organizers hope the day planted seeds that will grow into applications, internships, and eventually careers in a field desperate for new talent.