NextGen - The Alaska Airmen's Association

What is NextGen?

"ALASKA'S NEXT AVIATION GENERATION "

Our Mission

Our mission is to connect and grow the next generation of aviation in Alaska by sharing our passion for flying, fostering an environment of open communication and learning, and passing down the knowledge of those who came before us.

What is NextGen?

Board Members

Event Calendar

The NextGen Aviators Club is made up of young aviation enthusiasts whose primary purpose is to increase interest in Alaskan Aviation. The club is open to young adults interested in any aspect of Alaskan flying: piloting, aircraft mechanics, air traffic control, fabrication, and aviation management.

Together, we are growing Alaska's next generation of aviation professionals and enthusiasts.

What we do

Scholarships (all aviation fields)
Useful aviation seminars (i.e. winter flying 101, ski flying, float flying, remote survival basics, mountain flying, etc.)
Meet other like-minded people at one of our gatherings
Network with local aviation businesses and professionals (air carriers, Airframe and Powerplant mechanics, Certified Flight Instructors, collegiate programs, aircraft fabricators, etc.)
EAA Young Eagles flights (free discovery flights for kids, click to learn more)
Volunteering and community service opportunities

NextGen Board Members

ARAS SIRVELIS

Board Member, Scholarship Recipient

I started flying remote-controlled Super Cubs as a 12-year-old and watching real Cubs fly over my home near Merrill Field. By 16, I knew I wanted to fly the real thing.

I enrolled in the King Career Center’s aviation classes during my junior and senior years in high school along with spending summers working at Rust’s Flying Services as a dock hand. I knew that I loved aviation and with the financial help of my family I began my private pilot lessons. My goal was to get my license by 1, and I pulled it off!

Once again with the help of family members, we decided that it made more sense to buy Cessna 150 to use to build my hours toward a commercial license. Doing the math, it made sense at the time, but once I had that 150 in hand, the mechanical problems started showing up (as they always do). I’d taken the plane to Pratt Aviation to fix the exhaust and some other issues. John Pratt let me watch and help his mechanic. I was hooked. Not only did I want to fly, I wanted to fix my own plane. As fortune would have it, John hired me as an apprentice during my last semester of high school.

It was a perfect introduction to starting UAA’s aviation maintenance program. Apprenticing at John’s was an amazing opportunity. I was given excellent guidance by the mechanics, as well as a good deal of responsibility. I loved the work. I also continued to fly and work on my Cessna. I made numerous trips around Alaska. I realized that I wanted to fly and build planes.

My current plan is to finish my A&P certificate, and start working towards my IA. Alongside the maintenance, I hope to finish up my instrument and commercial certificates in the near future.

KEVIN CAMPBELL

Board of Directors Liaison

Kevin is a lifelong Alaskan and 2nd generation pilot who grew up in Anchorage and Soldotna. He grew up flying with his father, who has flown in Alaska since the 1960s, and has always wanted to fly.

Like his father, two things will always stand for him - he'll live in Alaska, and he'll fly airplanes. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Marketing from the University of Alaska Anchorage and has been an Airmen's Association member since earning his private pilot's license in 2006. Kevin handled aviation products and accounts in Southcentral Alaska for Inlet Petroleum Company before joining ENSTAR Natural Gas in 2007, where he works in business development. He is active in the community and sits on several volunteer boards and committees. He holds a single engine land certificate with tailwheel endorsement, with plans to add a seaplane rating soon so he can explore new areas of Alaska. His favorite place to be is in the air, and he's frequently found flying around Southcentral Alaska in his Super Cub. Kevin is passionate about aviation and considers flying a privilege that everyone should have a chance to experience; he is grateful to give back to the aviation community through involvement in the Alaska Airmen Association, and hopes to encourage interest and engagement in the aviation community among younger pilots.

RYAN GERETY

Board Member

Ryan has been interested in Aviation since childhood, but a Glacier Landing with K2 Aviation in Talkeetna, while working as a seasonal employee, sparked his desire to make it a career.

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WILL DAY

Operations Coordinator

I started working full-time with AAA in early 2021 hoping to meet other aviators throughout our state. From my vantage point, flying up here is all about reaching wild areas that would otherwise be inaccessible.

I believe Alaskans are deeply privileged to live in one of the last remaining wilderness frontiers. To hop in a bush plane, fly a few hours, and land amid towering undeveloped mountains... Where else can you do that?

NextGen is about keeping our predecessors' legacies alive, learning from our mentors, and sharing what we learn with everyone who will listen. We occupy an exceptional era in the history of mankind--a small sliver of the history of human life, in which people can experience flight. What better place to do that than Alaska?

DYLAN DUFFIELD

When I was a kid my Mom would drive me to elementary school, where we would pass the Merrill field airport. I remember seeing the countless amount of airplanes taking off and landing every day.

The first organization I joined as a young teenager was the Lake Hood Pilot association where the president of the organization, Scott Christy, became my mentor. During my junior year of high school, I studied abroad in Indonesia for a year where I represented the United States through Rotary International. After graduating high school in 2018 I started my freshman year of college at the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) and as of now, I am a junior at UAA pursuing my bachelor’s degree in Aviation Technology with an emphasis on Aeronautics.

In 2019 I became a private pilot which has led me to become the first pilot in my family. I have also obtained my tail dragger and high-performance endorsements. Currently, I am working towards my instrument rating with the hope to become a flight instructor by mid-summer of 2021. As I work towards my goals I know that it’s my duty to share my passion for aviation with the next generation as my mentors did for me

NextGen Events

For any questions please email nextgen@alaskaairmen.org

February 2022

Saturday, February 26 - 6 PM

NextGen Social Gathering

- Topic: Pilot Career Paths - Flying Heavies. Hear from one or two large jet pilots about their career paths.
- Location: AAA Office 4200 Floatplane Drive, Anchorage, AK
- Free to attend for all NextGen members. Food and beverage provided.

March 2022

Saturday, March 19 to Sunday, March 20

NextGen Ski Flying Clinic (SOLD OUT) at Alaska Floats & Skis

Sunday, March 20

Ski Flying Safety Seminar: Open to the public.

April2022

TBD: Volunteer meeting for the Great Alaska Aviation Gathering

May 2022

May 6th, 7th, & 8th - Great Alaska Aviation Gathering. Aviation exhibits, displays, and demonstrations. Aviation STEM activities. Food trucks and a beer garden.

May 14 & 15 (TBD) - Valdez STOL comp. We will bring a NextGen group out to the show. We may camp out and run a NextGen booth.