Lakewood junior furthers interest in aeronautics at PIA open house today

VIENNA

Seventeen-year-old Rob Eckenrode’s latest prized Christmas gift was something quite different from the typical high-tech iPhone, Xbox or T-shirt emblazoned with a favorite sports team.

Instead, it was an auxiliary power unit from a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bomber, a four-engine heavy aircraft developed in the 1930s and the likes of which were popular during World War II. Before the holiday, his mother, Janet Eckenrode, had bought the item on discount for $200 at an Akron-area antiques mall.

“I cleaned the fuel pipe, and I plan to work on the fuel system,” the Lakeview High School junior said.

The gift may be quite unusual, but it serves as a compact symbol for the Cortland teen’s accelerated love for airplanes and all things mechanical, both of which formed during his childhood.

His elevated interest in aeronautics also was a main reason Rob and his mother came to an open house Saturday at the Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics’ Youngstown branch campus, 1453 Youngstown-Kingsville Road NE (state Route 193).

The gathering was to showcase many of PIA’s offerings, including 16-month courses to certify those interested in careers in aircraft maintenance.

Read more about the school and the careers graduates get in Sunday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.