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COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho (AP) — Officials with North Idaho College say they are expanding their aerospace program to include aircraft maintenance, an option that hasn't been offered at the college since it trained pilots, aircraft mechanics and aviation technicians during WWII.
The Spokesman-Review (http://bit.ly/1UcFvv4 ) reports that the program — which will be certified by the Federal Aviation Administration— will begin next month and accommodate 20 students. The school's Aerospace Center of Excellence has been open since 2013.
"They've specifically matched what industry has told them that they need," said Garry Hojan, operations manager at Aerocet in Priest River and president of the Idaho Aerospace Alliance. "It's right in line with what industry is looking for."
Hojan's company recently hired 11 people to help make aircraft parts and float pontoons.
Students will need to complete three semesters of instruction and complete FAA airframe mechanics exams.
The rigorous program will teach students to "fix everything but the engine," said Patrick O'Halloran, director of aerospace for NIC. This includes handling sheet metal, riveting, composite materials, basic electricity, aircraft wiring, assembling and rigging and hydraulics.
"They're really going to be qualified to work on an aircraft from front to back," O'Halloran said.
Students must also clock in and out to prove to the FAA they completed the required number of hours on each part of the instruction.
The Idaho Department of Labor estimated that the state had 200 aerospace-related businesses as of 2014. The median annual wage for aircraft mechanics and service technicians in 2012 was $47,550, more double than the median annual wage for all occupations in Idaho.
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