RWCC thanked for scholarship support

“Frustrated” is the word Stan Smith used to describe how he feels when he sees former students not gainfully employed in their field of study.

Smith is the director of the Alabama Aviation College which trains students in aviation and avionics programs at the college on Highway 231 in Ozark. He came to the Republican Woman of Coffee County meeting to thank the members for providing two $500 scholarships that were awarded this year to Caleb Thornton and Freeman Woods.

Smith said that the aviation maintenance technician program is the college’s largest program. Students learn from experienced aviation professionals about a variety of subjects in the aircraft maintenance and avionics technology fields while gaining skills that transfer directly to the automotive, machinery and machine industries.

“At the end of the aviation maintenance program there are many steps students have to go through to get certified by the Federal Aviation Administration to get their Airframe and Power Plan Certificate,” Smith explained. “Step No. 1 is that students have to pass a comprehensive exam that I give.

“If they pass then they have permission to go to the FAA to take a written exam. When they pass the written exams they then have permission to take an oral and practical exam that covers three areas.

“We have some students who go through two years in the program, finish and they didn’t have enough money for testing,” Smith said. “I’ll meet them out in the community and I’ll ask them why they aren’t working as an aviation mechanic. They’ll say they don’t have the money for testing.”

Smith said that the three tests cost $500 and that the much-appreciated donation from the RWCC covers testing fees for two students annually.

The students are chosen by Alabama Aviation College faculty on the basis of grade point average, attendance and attitude, Smith said. “They are out all-around best students.”

High school students can get a head start on aviation maintenance programs by taking dual enrollment programs offered, Smith said. Sophomores, juniors and seniors can take Aviation Maintenance Technology programs and earn both high school and college credit. Students who begin taking courses in their sophomore year can be very close to completing the program by the time they leave high school.

“We have a two-year avionics program where students learn how to work on the radios, weather radar and electronics on the aircraft,” he said. “We have a two-year mechatronics program which is a combination of electronic and mechanical technology. Students learn to program robots, 3D printing, hydrologics and pneumatics.”

Smith said the Alabama Aviation College Commercial Drivers License program is a six-week program. “A student can graduate, get their CDL Class A license and be offered up to $50,000 to $60,000 a year right away driving a truck. That’s a pretty good deal for six weeks of training,” Smith said, adding that at a CDL graduation that day there were 10 recruiters on hand to recruit the six graduates. “They all got job offers. That is the neat part about my programs. There are jobs available.”

Smith said that more than 4,000 A&P mechanics jobs are currently posted and 1,700 avionics jobs opened. “If you know someone who wants to upgrade their skills, send them to the Alabama Aviation College,” he said with a smile. “You want a great job? Come to the Alabama Aviation College and we’ll get you some great skills.”