DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) — Sinclair Community College has big plans in the works to develop an aviation training center at the Dayton International Airport.
Clay Pittman, the chair of the Aviation Technology Department at Sinclair, says there’s a need for workers in the aviation industry.
Sinclair is partnering with PSA Airlines to recruit and train students for jobs in aviation.
“The plan is to take an unused hangar at the airport and re-purpose it as a training facility that will include a hangar floor, shop space. We’ll have the ability to run engines, to work on individual aircrafts, and we’re also going to have a renovated classroom space,” describes Pittman.
The goal is to train students to become aviation technicians.
“Aviation technicians are the people who keep the airlines flying. For every hour of flight in an airliner, there’s many, many hours of maintenance that takes place on the ground, and it’s critical that these people are well-trained,” states Pittman.
The program and hands-on training is designed to act as a pipeline to send students into the workforce.
“This would be a great opportunity for the airport and also for the students to actually work in an airport,” says Gil Turner, the Interim Director of Aviation at the Dayton International Airport. “A lot of times you go to a school or a classroom and it may be downtown or some remote location, but I think this would be a great opportunity for the students to actually get experience being in a classroom and on an airport.”
Sinclair’s partnership with the airline is a long-standing one.
“We also have relationships in aircraft dispatchers and for flight attendants as well,” says Pittman.
“To have access and have that school here on the airport would definitely improve work and also recruiting new companies to come to the airport and come to this area,” states Turner.
The renovation of the hangar is expected to cost about $300-thousand, according to Pittman and Turner.
