Remarks as prepared for delivery.

Hey, good afternoon, everyone. Although, now that I think about it, for some of you, it might be the morning.

Or the evening, depending on where you are in the world.

That’s one great thing about a virtual meeting platform. We can connect throughout the world. 

Over the past two years we’ve all gotten a lot of experience using virtual platforms and tools to learn and work. It’s been a little bit of a mixed bag, but I think we’ve found some unique opportunities to do things differently in our offices and classrooms that maybe we wouldn’t have tried without the push from the pandemic. Certainly, your age group has adapted more quickly, having been hands on with technology since you were knee high.

Minecraft is a tool that allows you to imagine your own world; if you can dream it, you can build it. With the Airport Design Challenge, you applied those skills to a real world problem, and I’m delighted so many of you joined us. We had more than 2,800 students from 18 countries. 

Your teachers weren’t just standing back and watching, either. We had more than 80 educators in the program this year, and I thank all of you for your support. 

And congratulations to this year’s finalists! I saw your YouTube videos. The builds you made were superb! 

I flew F-15 fighter jets in the Air Force. And I flew commercial passenger jets for the airlines. So I’ve been to many airports – both big and small.

I can see you thought through every aspect of your airport designs – like the runways and taxiways … the terminals … and the air traffic control tower.

This challenge starts out virtual, but it gets really real … really fast.    

You had to think about the types of material used for pavement … and the placement of maintenance hangars and refueling stations. 

You paid special attention to ensure passenger safety by designing runway safety areas and drawing surface markings. 

When you thought about the airports future growth, some of you lengthened the runways at existing airports … and that could mean you need to build a taller air traffic tower, so that controllers can see the full surface. 

I really liked some of your future innovations – like adding solar farms … advanced radar … and drone operation bases.

Just imagine adding a vertiport to the airport you designed. Orville and Wilbur weren’t thinking about electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, and they weren’t thinking about air taxis for people. But you are. Where would you put it?  

Or just imagine if you built a spaceport nearby to launch space rockets. What would that look like? How would you make sure the launches don’t interfere with planes taking off and landing at the airport? 

These are the kinds of things we’re thinking about in the aerospace industry. 

And we’re looking for smart young people like YOU to join us. We want a diverse group of people from all backgrounds and walks of life. 

Maybe you’ll want to become a pilot. Or an air traffic controller … a drone operator … an aviation maintenance technician … a safety inspector … an aerospace engineer … or an astronaut. The aerospace industry encompasses an enormously broad set of career paths, and the skill sets we need are expanding every year.

Come help us make flying safer … more efficient … more secure … and more environmentally friendly.

Whatever career you choose, I hope you are happy and successful.  

I always tell everyone in the aerospace industry that we must always be committed to continuous improvement. 

That goes for all areas of your life. Always look for ways to improve, in whatever you do. 

So continue to learn in school. Develop your talents and skills. 

Team up with others. And keep working on great projects. 

As you do these things, you’ll build a career, and maybe help us design solutions that will improve the world. 

Again, we are proud of all of you. Stay safe. And best of luck to our finalists!