Mark Huber is an aviation industry veteran who has worked in the flight training, aircraft sales, aircraft component, and airport development businesses. He has flight time in more than 50 different and diverse aircraft, including helicopters, aerobatic aircraft, vintage warbirds, jet fighters, business jets and turboprops, and transport-category aircraft. He has jumped out of several of these—on purpose—with a parachute. His defense and aviation journalism has been published in a variety of national and international periodicals.

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Mark Huber

Bell Helicopter is going back to school, teaming with the Fort Worth (Texas) Independent School District (FWISD) and Tarrant County College (TCC) to provide advanced, “state-of-the-art” aviation and engineering training for students at Dunbar, a local high school. The new training is designed to give students a leg up in the job market when they graduate and to provide Bell with pre-trained and qualified labor.


New core classes are being taught to Dunbar 9th and 10th graders and more curriculum will be added. Bell, FWISD and TCC are working together to develop and implement curriculum for aviation and engineering programs that offers students industry certification and dual credit. The training, tailored to meet current and future industry needs, will be incorporated into existing aerospace and engineering courses. The curriculum will emphasize building skills in key areas such as computerized numerical controlled (CNC) machining and advanced composite bonding. The program allows students to complete their training in 18 to 24 months and includes a senior project that will help determine if the student will be recruited by Bell or other area aviation companies at the end of the course.


“We believe this collaboration will not only provide more opportunity for students interested in careers in aviation, but will promote the industry as a whole, adding skilled men and women to the workforce in North Texas,” said Shannon Massey, Bell vice president of quality.


Dunbar, Tarrant County College, the FWISD and Bell are working together to incorporate specific industry production and manufacturing requirements, techniques and practical applications skills into tracts that will best position graduates to qualify to participate in the Tarrant County Advanced Composite and CNC Machining programs. The Tarrant County programs will then provide them with the higher skills and knowledge that will qualify them for employment in the aviation industry. The proposals for the programs will be submitted to the Texas State Workforce Commission for state recognition and certification next year.

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