A Brief But Spectacular Film on Habitat for Aviation Airs on PBS NewsHour

Written By Beth White

Sharing Our Love for Aviation with a Wider Audience

Our expectations were blown away when we watched the remarkable short film produced by our friends at PBS NewsHour as part of their Brief But Spectacular Series. This captivating piece highlights the importance of interest-based learning and draws inspiration from the best practices of Habitat for Aviation, Big Picture Learning, and Harbor Freight Fellows.

The piece captures the heart of our airplane build project and we are thankful to have the opportunity to showcase youth working with their hands in the skilled trades to pursue that which lights them up under the guidance of supportive adult mentors. The insightful questions and deep listening skills exhibited by the PBS team sparked profound reflections on the future of education. We are grateful for their efforts to artfully weave together this compelling narrative that showcases how Big Picture Learning is fostering equitable opportunities so that youth worldwide can realize their fullest potential in non-conventional learning environments like ours.

This collaboration serves as a testament to the transformative power of education that transcends traditional boundaries, fostering a space where curiosity, creativity, and hands-on learning thrive. We extend our deepest gratitude to PBS NewsHour for shedding light on our journey and amplifying the voices of those committed to shaping a brighter, more inclusive future for generations to come.

We hope you watch and enjoy the film, and join us in celebrating the boundless possibilities of interest-based education.

Beth White

Education Possibilitarian, Artist, Writer, Doula, Mentor, Aviatrix, Breast Cancer Survivor, Pilot-in-Command at Habitat for Aviation


In the spring of 2022, Beth White emerged from a 10-month battle with breast cancer with an idea: to create an apprenticeship program at Franklin County State Airport where youth work alongside adult mentors servicing conventional and electric aircraft. A pilot and airplane mechanic apprentice herself, and with family roots in the trades, Habitat for Aviation provides an taxilane for world learning opportunities for youth and adults who love to work with their hands to enter the FAA’s apprenticeship certification track. Each day she puts systems in place that make real John Dewey’s philosophy that we “learn best what we live” – a deep throughline from her time at Antioch University New England and as Regional Director for Big Picture Learning. Each learning experience is grounded in relationships, relevance, and practice. In October, 2023, Habitat for Aviation launched its Women Build Planes program, where an all-female team of Modern Day Rosies is building an airplane at Franklin County Airport, in northwestern Vermont, to show folks everywhere that despite the fact that only 2.6% of airplane mechanics are female, women BUILD, FLY, and FIX airplanes.

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