PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — In 1969, Portland Community College began an aviation maintenance technology program. Recently, a gift from a regional airline gave the unique program a real boost.
“Thanks to Horizon and Alaska Airlines, PCC now has a Bombardier Q400 aircraft for our students to learn on,” said PCC President Dr. Adien Bennings.
It’s an invaluable donation for students in PCC’s program, said Aviation Technology Program Manager Tom Laxson.
“What it does is to allow them to have time and experience on something modern. It’s new. It’s applicable to today, the job they’ll do when they leave here,” Laxson said.
PCC students have been learning how to fix and maintain airplanes for 53 years. Once students finish the program they can take federal certification exams and step right into jobs paying $70,000 to $80,000 a year to start.
“Something around two-thirds of the aircraft technicians in the United States are within 15 years of retirement, and so there’s a tremendous need and a gap that has to be filled now,” said Laxson, who once worked for Horizon Air.
There are currently 80 students in PCC’s Aviation Maintenance Technology classes. Laxson said if there were more qualified instructors and funding to secure expensive aircraft technology, the program could easily double overnight and bring in more students like Jennifer White, whose father was in avionics in the US Navy.
“There’s something that kind of blends the science and magic when it comes to flight that just really, really intrigued me,” White said.
PCC, which has the most students of any Oregon institution of higher education, also offers an aviation science program that teaches students to be pilots. The college is partnering with the Hillsboro School District training the next generation of pilots and technicians.
The donation of the Bombardier Q400 from Horizon is a game changer for PCC, one of only 3 programs like this in Oregon.
Now the students will get hands-on experience on something they will see in the real world.