VASQUEZ PILOT PROGRAM AVIATION LESSONS OFFERED TO HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS.

Byline: Carol Rock Staff Writer

ACTON - As a sheriff's helicopter hovered over the football field of Vasquez High School, a golden hawk circled nearby, watching. Over both their heads, a passenger jet's contrail drew a white line in the sky, the perfect diorama to launch the newest addition to extracurricular classes at the desert school.

A 12-week ground school on aviation will soon be offered to interested high school students in the Acton-Agua Dulce district, with classes held at nearby Agua Dulce Air Park. Those who complete the course with a passing grade of 80 percent or better will receive a certificate qualifying them as eligible to take the Federal Aviation Association written knowledge test.

``I'm like a kid in a candy store,'' said Steve Harbeson, a school board member instrumental in bringing the pilot program to the school. ``It took me 20 years to get my license, but I've been flying for six years now.

Harbeson has been working since September to bring the pilot program to the school. Speakers at the presentation ran the gamut from private to commercial pilots, law enforcement and designers from Northrop-Grummond.

``There is so much opportunity in aviation,'' he said. ``It's the fastest growing part of the transportation industry.''

Harbeson said that he is hoping to garner support from businesses and individuals willing to sponsor or provide scholarships to students interested in aviation.

``It costs about $3,000 all told,'' he said. ``We just want to help some of these kids get involved in this lucrative field.''

Katie Liefeld, a 2004 graduate of Vasquez, is a third-generation pilot.

``She learned to fly before she learned to drive,'' joked Harbeson.

``My grandfather was a pilot and my father was a pilot,'' she said. ``I want every single rating I can get.''

Liefeld doesn't have any aspirations to become a commercial pilot though, preferring the light planes to 767s. ``To me, it would be like driving a bus.''

Currently a student at Antelope Valley College, she plans on getting a degree in aerospace engineering. She already belongs to Women In Aviation and the 99s, an international group of women pilots.

``We do fly-outs and outreach for FWP - future women pilots,'' Liefeld explained. She has received scholarships from the two groups as well as the Experimental Aircraft Association.

Mikeal Smith, a certified flight instructor who is coordinating the class, said that interest has been so high, organizers are already looking to establish a second session.

L.A. County Sheriff's Sgt. Richard Gurr expertly hovered the familiar green and gold department helicopter over the field, turning it 90 degrees at a time and balancing on one skid, then the other, before putting it down and stepping out to address the 600 spectators, mostly students who thought the helicopter was ``cool.''

``You've heard our slogan, 'Drive Our Company Car'?'' Gurr asked the students. ``How many times have you been driving along and saw a police car behind you and you wondered how they knew you were going a little bit faster than the other cars? What you don't see is 200 feet above you, we're right there.

``I've worked in law enforcement for the last 10 years, in some of the busiest stations,'' he continued. ``But I enjoy this the most. It's the greatest thing in the world to do something you love and get paid to do it. And we don't just need pilots. If you can turn a wrench, wouldn't it be great to work on this $2.6 million machine? Are you a surfer? This thing is made of fiberglass. Know computers? There is nothing more high-tech than the electronics in flying. Don't think aviation is limited just to pilots.''

Smith summarized the presentation reminding the students that pilots can take flight lessons, but where most of them come up short is at ground school.

``This will teach you some of the most basic things about flying, such as aeronautical decision making,'' he said. ``Sometimes the most important thing you decide is whether or not to take a flight.''

For more information on the ground school, call [phone].

Carol Rock, [phone]

carol.rock(at)dailynews.com

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) L.A. County Sheriff's Sgt. Richard Gurr, a pilot, walks out to meet students at Vasquez High as part of the program.

(2 -- color) A helicopter pilot, Sheriff's Sgt. Richard Gurr, brings a vehicle in for a landing at the program's introduction.

David Crane/Staff Photographer