Published: Sunday, May 23, 2010
Work pays off for EvCC students
Demand for aviation mechanics is already high — and expected to increase
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Michael O’Leary / The Herald
Boeing employee and Everett Community College student Jennifer Wahl works with instructor Harold Small earlier this month.
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Michael O'Leary / The Herald Boeing employee and Everett Community College student Jennifer Wahl and a composite fan blade from GE jet engine on display on the gallery floor at the Future of Flight. photo shot Thursday May 13, 2010
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Alex Porter
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Mike Young
Imagine getting only four hours of sleep nightly.
That’s the schedule Jennifer Wahl has kept for nearly two years.
The 27-year-old attends courses at the Aviation Maintenance Technology school at Everett Community College. She also works an average of 56 hours weekly at the Boeing Co.
“I’m always tired,” she said.
But Wahl’s hard work is about to pay off. In three months, she’ll wrap up her college courses, which are designed to prepare students to obtain Federal Aviation Administration ratings as airframe and powerplant mechanics. Wahl expects to have passed the FAA exams by the end of the year.
Everett Community College graduates 25 to 30 students like Wahl from its aviation maintenance program each year, said Bill Loomis, chairman of the department. The community college is one of 160 worldwide to offer such a program. Students come from all over the world to attend classes in Everett.
Loomis, who is retiring this month, believes there isn’t a better place than Paine Field to operate an aviation maintenance program. The site is close not only to Boeing and Aviation Technical Services, a major maintenance, repair and overhaul company, but also to aviation restoration centers such as Historic Flight.
“We’re big enough to get it done; we’re small enough to care,” Loomis said.
Many aviation maintenance students work full-time. David Lewis, 25, works on Boeing’s 787 production line, like Wahl does. Lewis is in his first year in the aviation maintenance program.
Although he often works 10-hour days at Boeing as well as going to school, Lewis still thinks the long hours are worth his while. Having an airframe and powerplant rating will boost Lewis’ salary at Boeing.
And “there’s always a demand” for aviation mechanics, said Mike Young, a furloughed pilot also enrolled in the program.
Demand for licensed airframe and powerplant mechanics is expected to grow over the next decade. Just in Washington, the state estimates the aerospace industry will need 360 mechanics and technicians annually from 2012 to 2017, according to the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges. Yet Washington produced only about 75 mechanics and technicians in 2007. If that trend holds, the state will have an average annual shortfall of 285 mechanics and technicians.
The state has five aviation maintenance programs at community colleges. But the curriculum hasn’t been uniform, making it difficult for a student to transfer from one school to another if he or she has to relocate due to employment.
Laura Hopkins with the state’s Aerospace Joint Apprenticeship Committee has been working with the FAA and the five schools to devise a common course base. The FAA requires about 1,900 hours of work for an airframe and powerplant rating. Overall, Everett’s program covers 45 subjects and takes about 2,040 hours to complete.
The community college doesn’t have the budget to buy all the aircraft, tools and equipment needed to give students a hands-on experience.
But “we work on live equipment,” Loomis said.
Boeing donated an aircraft engine to the program; ATS donated a 767 rudder. Recently, Boeing supplier Spirit AeroSystems donated a portion of a 787 composite fuselage barrel.
“We’ve got a lot of stuff coming with composites,” said Alex Porter, an instructor. Porter will take over for Loomis when he retires.
Although composites is one of the subjects covered in the program, it’s a growing field due to Boeing’s heavy reliance on carbon fiber composites in its 787 Dreamliner. Both Everett and Edmonds community colleges offer courses in composites that are separate from the airframe and powerplant maintenance coursework.
For Wahl, the aviation maintenance program offers a sound general aviation overview. Some of the coursework corresponds to the work she’s already performing on Boeing’s 787 line. When she has obtained her FAA license, Wahl hopes to land a job on Boeing’s flight line.
“I want to work on a live aircraft,” she said.
Eventually, Wahl wants to work for the FAA, ensuring airplane and airline safety. Although the last two years have been a blur, Wahl said she never considered quitting the program or her job.
“Once you start, you can’t stop,” she said.
That’s the schedule Jennifer Wahl has kept for nearly two years.
The 27-year-old attends courses at the Aviation Maintenance Technology school at Everett Community College. She also works an average of 56 hours weekly at the Boeing Co.
“I’m always tired,” she said.
But Wahl’s hard work is about to pay off. In three months, she’ll wrap up her college courses, which are designed to prepare students to obtain Federal Aviation Administration ratings as airframe and powerplant mechanics. Wahl expects to have passed the FAA exams by the end of the year.
Everett Community College graduates 25 to 30 students like Wahl from its aviation maintenance program each year, said Bill Loomis, chairman of the department. The community college is one of 160 worldwide to offer such a program. Students come from all over the world to attend classes in Everett.
Loomis, who is retiring this month, believes there isn’t a better place than Paine Field to operate an aviation maintenance program. The site is close not only to Boeing and Aviation Technical Services, a major maintenance, repair and overhaul company, but also to aviation restoration centers such as Historic Flight.
“We’re big enough to get it done; we’re small enough to care,” Loomis said.
Many aviation maintenance students work full-time. David Lewis, 25, works on Boeing’s 787 production line, like Wahl does. Lewis is in his first year in the aviation maintenance program.
Although he often works 10-hour days at Boeing as well as going to school, Lewis still thinks the long hours are worth his while. Having an airframe and powerplant rating will boost Lewis’ salary at Boeing.
And “there’s always a demand” for aviation mechanics, said Mike Young, a furloughed pilot also enrolled in the program.
Demand for licensed airframe and powerplant mechanics is expected to grow over the next decade. Just in Washington, the state estimates the aerospace industry will need 360 mechanics and technicians annually from 2012 to 2017, according to the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges. Yet Washington produced only about 75 mechanics and technicians in 2007. If that trend holds, the state will have an average annual shortfall of 285 mechanics and technicians.
The state has five aviation maintenance programs at community colleges. But the curriculum hasn’t been uniform, making it difficult for a student to transfer from one school to another if he or she has to relocate due to employment.
Laura Hopkins with the state’s Aerospace Joint Apprenticeship Committee has been working with the FAA and the five schools to devise a common course base. The FAA requires about 1,900 hours of work for an airframe and powerplant rating. Overall, Everett’s program covers 45 subjects and takes about 2,040 hours to complete.
The community college doesn’t have the budget to buy all the aircraft, tools and equipment needed to give students a hands-on experience.
But “we work on live equipment,” Loomis said.
Boeing donated an aircraft engine to the program; ATS donated a 767 rudder. Recently, Boeing supplier Spirit AeroSystems donated a portion of a 787 composite fuselage barrel.
“We’ve got a lot of stuff coming with composites,” said Alex Porter, an instructor. Porter will take over for Loomis when he retires.
Although composites is one of the subjects covered in the program, it’s a growing field due to Boeing’s heavy reliance on carbon fiber composites in its 787 Dreamliner. Both Everett and Edmonds community colleges offer courses in composites that are separate from the airframe and powerplant maintenance coursework.
For Wahl, the aviation maintenance program offers a sound general aviation overview. Some of the coursework corresponds to the work she’s already performing on Boeing’s 787 line. When she has obtained her FAA license, Wahl hopes to land a job on Boeing’s flight line.
“I want to work on a live aircraft,” she said.
Eventually, Wahl wants to work for the FAA, ensuring airplane and airline safety. Although the last two years have been a blur, Wahl said she never considered quitting the program or her job.
“Once you start, you can’t stop,” she said.
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