Tukwila’s Museum of Flight has partnered with the Peninsula School District to launch the district’s new Aviation Academy, which is designed to replicate the museum’s Aeronautical Science Pathway program.
The Aviation Academy started serving students in the Gig Harbor and Key Peninsula areas in 2025. Similar to the ASP program, the PSD’s Aviation Academy provides students who finish the ASP curriculum with six high-school and 60 college credits at no cost. It’s offered to Peninsula School District students during the school day.
The Museum of Flight’s ASP instructors and administrators have collaborated with Peninsula’s Aviation Academy to create a program that closely aligns with the museum’s immersive Career and Technical Education model. For instance, airport-management professionals at the nearby Seattle-Tacoma International Airport mentor and assess student projects at the museum, while the Aviation Academy receives similar support from nearby Tacoma Narrows Airport.
“The partnership with Peninsula School District has been wonderfully collaborative and productive,” said Rob Prosch, director of preparatory programs at the Museum of Flight, in a press release. “It has grown and established itself as a fantastic model of how the museum desires to partner with education agencies across Washington state. And growth comes in unexpected ways that are mutually beneficial. For example, Peninsula hired a recently retired navy aviator, Commander JP Williamson, who brings his expertise and experience of helicopters to the classroom. His knowledge and enthusiasm for aviation shine when he shares them for Aviation Academy, and when collaborating with the museum’s ASP staff.”
Since 2016, the Museum of Flight has hosted the ASP program, which was developed in partnership with Green River College and the Puget Sound Skills Center.