The low unemployment rate has exposed the need for developing skilled professionals in a number of industries and aviation is one of them. School News Network visits Kent Career Tech Center where students have an interest in flight.
Kent County high school students who attend the aviation programs at the Kent Career Tech Center are getting a head start on their aviation careers by learning the fundamentals of aircraft maintenance and electronics.
Instructors Todd Olson and Nick Brown, guide about 50 students a year through their two-year program, located in a hangar facility at the Gerald R. Ford International Airport.
Inside the hangar, students have several light aircraft, a military helicopter and a collection of powerplants that are used to give students hands-on experience with the principles of aircraft engines and navigation systems.
The classes introduce high school students to the technical side of the aviation industry outside of the cockpit. The program puts a high emphasis on the precise procedures and discipline needed to maintain an aircraft.
The Kent ISD recently approved the purchase of a $35,000 aircraft engine whose design is found in 85 light aircraft. Mounted on a testbed, the new engine will give his students hands-on experience with the newest standard in the aviation technology.
This is James Harger, reporting for the School News Network