MCCTC student places second in national aviation competition

Staff report

canfield

Garrett Tanner, a senior in the Aviation Maintenance Technology program at the Mahoning County Career and Technical Center, placed second in a national competition.

Garrett earned the Silver Medal at the SkillsUSA Championships in the Aviation Maintenance Technology competition.

A resident of Canfield, he competed against 13 students from schools across the country in the two-day event. The competition covered a number of aviation skills including safety, weight and balance, electrical, aircraft identification, precision measuring and much more.

SkillsUSA is a partnership of students, teachers and industry working together to ensure America has a skilled work force. This year, an estimated 5,600 students competed at the national event.

When Garrett learned he placed at the championships, he said, “I was happy ... really happy.”

He said the skills he learned while attending MCCTC were what enabled him to compete at the national level.

“The thing that helped me the most was being able to interpret the technical data, and then I could figure it out from there,” he said.

In addition to earning a medal, Garrett also received several sets of tools as part of his award.

Scott Rowe, aviation maintenance technology instructor, accompanied Garrett on the trip to Kansas City. “Garrett shows what can happen when you apply yourself,” Rowe said. “He has such a strong work ethic, and that’s why he makes such a good student, and he’ll make a good employee.”

Garrett is working on completing the required number of hours to earn an aviation certificate. Once certified, he plans to pursue a career in general aviation.