Paper Airplanes Take Flight at Harry Reid Airport, Opening Doors to Aviation Careers for Local Youth

A yearly folding-and-flying contest at Terminal 3 gave dozens of Southern Nevada kids a hands-on look at the many jobs that keep an airport running.

A Terminal Full of Future Aviators

On a recent Tuesday morning, Terminal 3 at Harry Reid International Airport looked less like a travel hub and more like a classroom with better views of the runway. About 75 children from a Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Nevada program traded backpacks for stacks of paper, folding and testing their best paper airplane designs alongside airport employees and community partners.

The event, known as Paper Plane Palooza, mixes friendly competition with a bigger goal: giving young people who might never have set foot past security a reason to see an airport as more than a place their family passes through on vacation. For a few hours, the terminal became a place where curiosity about flight had room to take off.

From Folding Paper to Exploring Real Careers

Beyond the contest itself, organizers used the day to introduce kids to the range of jobs that keep a major airport operating, from ground crews and logistics teams to customer service and airport operations staff. The idea is simple: most young people only ever see an airport from the passenger side, and rarely think about the hundreds of roles working behind the scenes to get planes off the ground safely and on time.

A leader with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Nevada described the goal as helping kids see the people behind every job at the airport, not just the planes themselves. That framing matters for a youth-serving program built around exposure and mentorship: a single afternoon of hands-on fun can plant the seed for a future internship, apprenticeship, or career path that a young person might not have otherwise considered.

A Tradition Rooted in Terminal 3's History

Paper Plane Palooza is not a one-time stunt. It began in 2013 as a celebration of the first anniversary of Terminal 3, which opened to the public in June 2012, and has continued nearly every year since as an established community tradition at the airport. That history gives the event a different kind of weight: it is one of the longer-running youth outreach efforts tied to Southern Nevada's aviation industry, not a newly invented photo opportunity.

Each child who took part this year also went home with a bundle of free school essentials contributed by the airport and its community partners, a practical nod to the back-to-school season arriving in the weeks ahead. Pairing a fun, hands-on activity with tangible school supplies is a small but meaningful way to support families heading into a new academic year.

Why Career Exposure Events Matter for Nevada Youth

Southern Nevada's economy runs on tourism and travel, and Harry Reid International Airport is one of the region's largest employers and busiest pieces of infrastructure. Yet for many young people growing up nearby, the airport can feel more like a backdrop than a place they could someday work. Events that open the doors, even for a single morning, help close that gap between a child's daily surroundings and the opportunities within reach.

For families and mentors across the Nevada Youth Alliance network, days like this reinforce a message worth repeating: exposure builds ambition. A young person who spends a morning learning about ramp operations, aviation security, or guest services at a working airport carries that experience forward, whether or not they ever choose that specific career path.

Aviation Career Paths Youth Got a Glimpse Of

Airports run on far more than pilots and flight attendants. Here are some of the career fields highlighted through hands-on airport career-exposure events like this one.

1. Airport Operations: Coordinating the daily flow of flights, gates, and ground activity to keep a terminal running smoothly.
2. Ground and Ramp Crew: Handling baggage, aircraft marshaling, and the fast-paced work that happens between landing and takeoff.
3. Guest and Customer Service: Helping travelers navigate the terminal, answer questions, and solve problems on busy travel days.
4. Aviation Security: Screening passengers and cargo to keep travelers and staff safe throughout the airport.
5. Logistics and Cargo: Moving freight and packages efficiently through an airport that serves as a major shipping hub.
6. Facilities and Maintenance: Keeping the terminal, equipment, and grounds in working order for millions of travelers a year.

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