Nicholas Gates, a pilot-turned-teacher at Maroochydore State High School, spearheaded the school's designation as an Aerospace Gateway to Industry. Mr Gates developed the Aerospace study program for Years 11-12 from the ground up, followed by grades 7-10 as feeder programs, to grow the subject throughout the school.

In a ground-breaking curriculum, students learn with virtual reality, 3D printers, drones, rocketry, laser cutting, computer coding, flight date recording and airflow simulations.

“We experiment, we build, we design and create flight… and then it crashes, leaving us with a piece of the puzzle on the ground. Now we’re air crash investigators and we put the pieces together to figure out what happened,” he said.

As part of the Gateway to Industry Schools Program, students are also getting extraordinary opportunities for hands-on experience.

Through a partnership with a local helicopter company, they explored tracking modifications made for the New York Police Department. At Brisbane Airport, students watched in awe as a jet engine was pulled apart and fixed up with new components. They took part in RAAF and Army workshops with flight simulators. And a visit to the Virgin Airlines system centre provided a close-up view of the interconnected effects of a single flight delay.

“The things they’re doing are replicated at school. We make them, we test them, and our students get to see it in real terms with our industry partners,” he said.

To inspire more people to feel confident studying and teaching Aerospace, Mr Gates mentors non-aerospace teachers, shares the school's program freely with other schools and developed the Junior STEM and Coding programs. His school curriculum design is featured at Aerospace conferences around the State.

Mr Gates has even designed and constructed a large Mars Rover for the classroom and library as an educational one-stop-shop, complete with QR codes.

With its exacting standard, the Rover captures the imagination of any student who sees it.

And, in Mr Gates’ world, there is always an opportunity to innovate – even in the smallest way.

"I passed through Childers a couple of weeks ago and found a lot of red dirt, pretty much the exact colour of dirt on Mars. I filled up a bag and completely immersed the Rover in it. The kids were saying, ‘This is so cool.’”

There are now 185 students from years 7-12 studying Aerospace at Maroochydore State High School, and that number grows.

“I'm passionate about Aerospace,” he says, “so my teaching is passionate. The whole purpose, regardless of what you teach, is to teach students how to learn. To prepare them for the big game.”

Mr Gates is a finalist at the Queensland College of Teachers TEACHX Awards, in the Innovation in Teaching category.

Winners will be announced October 27th, on the eve of World Teachers' Day in Queensland.