The University of Maryland Eastern Shore is celebrating a milestone for its growing aviation program after the first class of students completed a new aircraft maintenance training program.
The 12-month program, developed in partnership with Piedmont Airlines, provides hands-on training as students work toward Federal Aviation Administration aircraft technician certifications.
Graduate Isaac Banks said the accelerated program kept students busy, but credited instructors with preparing the inaugural class.
“It was fast, but we got taught a lot,” Banks said. “It was good. ”Students train from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday, working through general, airframe and power plant curriculum. Instructor Kevin Green expects the program to continue expanding.
“I see it expanding and probably moving into several classes a year eventually,” Green said that growth is already underway. During the graduation ceremony, UMES Aviation Department Acting Chair Chris Hartman announced the program has reached enrollment capacity for the upcoming school year.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore joined university leaders, Piedmont Airlines President and CEO Eric Morgan and Wicomico County Executive Julie Giordano for the graduation. Moore said the program creates opportunities for students while preparing workers for the aviation industry.
“For these students, they're now chasing their dreams, and their dreams make us better,” Moore said. For graduate Hunter Whitman, aviation offered a new direction after he began working on automobiles in high school.
“It's been a whole new world,” Whitman said. “I've enjoyed so much and everything about it.” Whitman hopes to take his new skills next door to Piedmont Airlines, illustrating the local workforce pipeline the partnership was designed to create.
More information about the aviation maintenance program is available through UMES.
