Photo by Karin Elton Caleb Schmidt prepares to try out the new flight simulator located at Southwest Minnesota Regional Airport in Marshall.

MARSHALL –The flight simulator is ready for business at Southwest Minnesota Regional Airport in Marshall.

Dave Algyer, Prairie Aircraft owner, says the simulator is available to rent to pilots, instrument students and students who are participating in a program which offers young women and men in high school flight training for free. The program is part of a LYFT grant which exposes students to aviation to see if they want it as a career choice.

“They can get two hours of free use of the simulator,” said Algyer. “Students can log the time. It’s FAA approved.”

Launch Your Future Today (LYFT) Pathways funding is available to high schools to develop shared career and technical education courses and programs.

LYFT is funded through a $3 million Rural Career and Technical Education Consortium Grant, which was passed by the Minnesota Legislature in 2017. The legislative funding has been extended through June 30, 2022, according to the website lyftpathways.org .

Algyer just concluded an eight-week ground school course and is gearing up for another one.