Three rooms became one to house the laboratory space for the airframe lab. The College’s maintenance department made the expansion possible by opening up two separate classrooms to accommodate a fixed-wing aircraft. Details about potential funding are expected to be made available later this fall. Northeast State’s Office of Grant Development is pursuing both state and federal funding sources. More than $600,000 is needed in the short term for instructional equipment, teaching tools, and supplies.Ī 2018 Pilot and Technical Outlook study conducted by the Boeing corporation projected 189,000 civil aviation technicians and 206,000 civil aviation pilots will be needed in the next 15 to 20 years in the North American market alone.

“The remaining ten percent is power plant related.”Īn eventual relocation to the Tri-Cities Airport requires a significant investment.

“Ninety percent of operations you perform on an aircraft focused on the airframe,” said Blevins. Earning the FAA Airframe and Powerplant (A&P) certifications raises the skill sets for the program’s graduates. The airframe lab’s capabilities and FAA certification is a precursor to the program’s eventual relocation to the airport next to the College’s Blountville campus. Also, Blevins plans to add a fully functional single-engine airplane to the lab within the next year.

Students already benefit from an electrical systems laboratory and aircraft systems lab spaces at the site.Ī single-engine airplane fuselage is displayed as a teaching model in the lab. The mechanical and airframe lab provides approximately 2,000 square feet of teaching space. “We want to ensure the Aerospace Park’s potential tenants that we can provide the highly skilled labor force aerospace and aviation industry demands.” “To move forward on the FAA certification, we need a fully operational aircraft in the lab,” said Blevins. Richard Blevins, director of the Aviation Technology program, noted that the development of the Aerospace Park at Tri-Cities Airport fuels the need to secure the Part 147 certification. The expanded mechanical and airframe laboratory space moves the program toward a fast track to earning the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Part 147 airframe certification for aviation teaching schools. The Northeast State campus at Gray, Tenn., houses the College’s Aviation Technology program. Students enrolled in the Aviation Technology program at Northeast State Community College will jump into a new laboratory space for training when fall classes begin next week.

Aerospace park tri cities airport