This is as close to a free lunch as I've ever seen

Crashnburn

Crashnburn

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Crashnburn
I was first introduced to the acronym "TANSTAAFL" (There ain't no such thing as a free lunch) in Robert Heinlein's book, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress. I was reading General Aviation news and ran across this article:

https://generalaviationnews.com/2019/02/16/wanted-more-people-to-get-paid-to-move-to-wichita-and-train-to-work-at-top-aviation-companies/?utm_source=ActiveCampaign&utm_medium=email&utm_content=[The+Pulse+of+Aviation]+COPPERSTATE+Fly-In+a+hit+at+new+location&utm_campaign=TPOA-20190218

Which is about as close to a free lunch as I've ever seen.

WSU Tech offers a full-ride scholarship to learn aircraft technologies useful at both Sprint and Textron in Wichita. You have to live at least 75 miles from Wichita to qualify for the scholarship.

The program is offered by WSU Tech, which seems to be a technical school associated with my Alma Mater - Wichita State University. This could be a way for people to get a job in Wichita that pays their way, and give them enough to continue their education at WSU, or another of the myriad colleges and universities in Wichita.

And, if you want to be involved in aviation, it's hard to go wrong in Wichita, "The Air Capital of the World". I'm sure it's because of all the planes manufactured there, but you also get lots of fresh air there, too. You get it from OK in the summer, and NB in the winter. And, sometimes from CO, and MO!

The aviation industry is bipolar. When the economy is good, or better, light plane manufacturing goes through the roof, and when the economy has the sniffles, aviation gets pneumonia!
 
Seems kind of narrow:


Eligible training programs include Aviation Sheetmetal Assembly and Process Mechanic Paint.
 
Crashnburn said:
I was first introduced to the acronym "TANSTAAFL" (There ain't no such thing as a free lunch) in Robert Heinlein's book, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress.
Click to expand...

Since that’s a double negative, I guess there is such a thing as a free lunch.
 
Cam Bender said:
Since that’s a double negative, I guess there is such a thing as a free lunch.
Click to expand...

No, in the South, the additional negatives simply reinforce the original one. Like a verbal way of using italic, bold and bold italic fonts. One negative may not get the point across, so we use two. In extreme cases, we can go three or four, just to make sure you get the point. :D
 
WSU has been making efforts to be more than just a "local" school...This appears to be a part of that process.
weilke said:
Seems kind of narrow:


Eligible training programs include Aviation Sheetmetal Assembly and Process Mechanic Paint.
Click to expand...
Don't forget the follow-up...
The eligible programs were selected based on the hiring needs at Wichita’s aviation companies.
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It would certainly make sense if there's some funding from companies that say, "These are the people we're having the most trouble finding." Call me cynical, but I can't imagine WSU is doing this out of the goodness of their hearts. ;)
 
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weilke said:
Seems kind of narrow:


Eligible training programs include Aviation Sheetmetal Assembly and Process Mechanic Paint.
Click to expand...

Well, it said include, not limited to. It would be a way to get your foot in the door in an aircraft company, and after that, not even the sky is the limit.
 
MauleSkinner said:
WSU has been making efforts to be more than just a "local" school...This appears to be a part of that process.

Don't forget the follow-up...

It would certainly make sense if there's some funding from companies that say, "These are the people we're having the most trouble finding." Call me cynical, but I can't imagine WSU is doing this out of the goodness of their hearts. ;)
Click to expand...

Well, what's more practical, teaching underwater basket weaving in the Mohave Desert, or teaching a skill that can be used to start a career? It's true the aircraft companies could, and probably are, funding the scholarships, but the trade schools exist to teach trades, and if someone is motivated to apply for, and move to Wichita from at least 75 miles away, why not help them out, especially if they couldn't afford to do that otherwise?

When I was in high school, one of the two airplanes carrying the WSU football team encountered CumuloGranite in Colorado. All aboard died. One of the casualties was Marvin Brown, from Solomon, KS. I was a high school football player, as well as class Valedictorian, and had never heard of a scholarship in his name. So, I can say I had a football scholarship in college, just that I never played on the team. (Considering their record, I might have been able to help.)

My second semester at WSU, I got an unsolicited letter from WSU's financial aid office asking me to come see them about something. When I got there, they told me about the scholarship. They matched the amount with a loan, then matched that sum with a grant. There was no financial reason they had to double it twice. (Another student had gotten it the first semester, but just took the money and never went to class.) I got the scholarship, and other financial aid for a total of seven semesters. I think they knew I was serious about my education - I took 19 hours my first semester, and had quizzed out of another 12.

I was able to earn in 4 years a degree that normally took 5, had minimal student debt, and actually had a bit higher net worth when I graduated than when I started. I might have still been able to graduate in 4 years, but I would have had a lot more student debt.

The moral is, a hand up can help, no matter the motivation of the person helping.
 
Cam Bender said:
Since that’s a double negative, I guess there is such a thing as a free lunch.
Click to expand...
The linguistics professor concluded his lecture by summarizing, "In some languages a double-negative means a positive, and in some languages a double-negative means a negative. But in no language does a double-positive mean a negative!" He paused to let the profundity of that statement sink in.

After a couple of seconds a bored-sounding voice came from the back of the room: "Yeah, right."

:p
 
Pilawt said:
The linguistics professor concluded his lecture by summarizing, "In some languages a double-negative means a positive, and in some languages a double-negative means a negative. But in no language does a double-positive mean a negative!" He paused to let the profundity of that statement sink in.

After a couple of seconds a bored-sounding voice came from the back of the room: "Yeah, right."

:p
Click to expand...

Ain't no way!
 
Cam Bender said:
Since that’s a double negative, I guess there is such a thing as a free lunch.
Click to expand...

1350078862082.png
 
flyingcheesehead said:
I clicked through to the program's page, and those are the only two "majors" in the program.
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OK.
Well, they filled the last scholarship class, so there is a demand for those classes. It's good, honest work, and I'm all for that, and increasing the supply of airplanes.

I don't see any problem benefitting from a program that also benefits someone else. I make a pretty decent salary; Yet, I know my company has a higher gross income from my time than what they pay me, and I don't refuse to work because they might be making a profit on my labor. If they broke even, or lost money on my time, there wouldn't be any reason to keep me around.
 
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