FSD Expands Aerospace Program with Advanced Flight Simulation

Franklin Special District (FSD) is enhancing hands-on learning opportunities for middle school students with the addition of a Redbird LD flight simulator in its aerospace classroom. The simulator is available to students at Poplar Grove Middle School and Freedom Middle School as part of the district’s aviation coursework, offering high school credit to eighth-grade students.

Approved by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as an Advanced Aviation Training Device, the Redbird LD provides a highly realistic flight experience with authentic controls, a wrap-around visual display offering a 200-degree field of view, and a worldwide terrain database that allows students to train in a variety of virtual environments.

Through a $1 million Innovative School Models grant from the Tennessee Department of Education, the district has added this Redbird LD simulator to the 14 Redbird Jay Velocity and four Redbird TD flight simulators already in use, dramatically expanding student access to immersive, real-world training tools. This new simulator, valued at approximately $55,000, serves as a powerful training platform for students enrolled in the aerospace course. All of the aerospace equipment and resources are entirely supported by this four-year grant, ensuring that students benefit from cutting-edge technology without placing additional financial burden on local resources.

“This grant was specifically designed to build and sustain high-quality aerospace programming in our schools,” said Dr. Mary Decker, FSD Associate Director of Schools for Teaching and Learning. “Every simulator in these classrooms, including this newest addition, has been made possible through these dedicated state funds, allowing our students to engage in authentic flight training experiences that prepare them for future careers in aviation.”

With two years of planning, personnel and equipment acquisition, and training completed, the program is in its second full year of student instruction. The FSD remains the only district in Tennessee offering this level of aviation coursework to 8th-grade students.