SJSU Aviation Students Step Up as Government Shutdown Strains Local Air Traffic Controllers

By Derrick Meyer, Charles W. Davidson College of Engineering

SJSU students at Reid Hillview Airport. Photo: Hyugjun Yoon.

For the aviation students, many of whom train in the same airspace managed by Reid-Hillview Airport’s controllers, the news felt personal. Their flight instructor Nobi Buntin had asked them to consider how aviators care for their community during times of strain — and the students saw an opportunity to demonstrate it.

Shubkarman Kaur, ’29 Aeronautics, one of the student pilots, launched a GoFundMe campaign to support the control tower staff who continued reporting to work despite the shutdown’s uncertainty. What followed was a groundswell of generosity. The class met — and then exceeded — their $1,000 goal, ultimately raising more than $1,127 from donors moved by the students’ mission and the controllers’ dedication.

The funds quickly transformed into action. On November 9, the students delivered hearty Vietnamese sandwiches to the tower crew, accompanied by an unexpected contribution from Nice Air: a gift certificate for the controllers that can be used for purchases, in-flight services like upgrades or merchandise. “It was a small but heartfelt gesture of thanks to the professionals who guide us through each pattern entry, imperfect radio call, and shaky, first solo flight,” the students said.

For many of these young aviators, air traffic controllers are more than disembodied voices. They are mentors in the headset — steady, patient and unfailingly calm. “They’re always encouraging, especially with students still learning the ropes,” one pilot-in-training said. “They help us feel safe. They help us grow!”

The experience has reshaped how the class views their future profession. Under Buntin’s mentorship, students are learning that being a pilot isn’t only about mastering aerodynamics or navigation. It is about stewardship — an ethic of looking out for the people who make flight possible.

SJSU students stepped up to support air traffic controllers at Reid Hillview Airport this fall. Photo: Courtesy of Derrick Meyer.

That lesson is guiding their next project. Inspired by the outpouring of support for their initial effort, the students are now preparing holiday care packages for controllers at Reid-Hillview and neighboring towers. The baskets will include healthy snacks, small gifts such as Uber Eats gift cards, and handwritten notes from student pilots offering thanks to the men and women who keep the region’s air traffic moving safely.

The students hope their work sparks something larger — a broader recognition of the quiet, essential labor performed by air traffic controllers every day, shutdown or not. And they’re inviting the community to join them.

A Call to Action

The students are seeking contributions to help fund their holiday care baskets. They say that every donation sends a message: that the community stands with the professionals who guide aircraft through crowded skies, often without fanfare.

“Time is of the essence,” they write. “If you can contribute now, you can help us show these controllers just how much they mean to us.”

In a moment of national uncertainty, these aspiring pilots have embraced a simple truth: Aviation is sustained not just by machines or procedures, but by people — and by the care they extend to one another.