Aeronautics institute sponsors open house at Vienna airport

February 21, 2016 at 12:10a.m.

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, 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 of 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 attended 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.

The private, nonprofit aircraft maintenance training school was founded in 1929. Besides its campuses in Pittsburgh and Vienna, PIA has facilities in Myrtle Beach, S.C., and Hagerstown, Md.

“I’ve been interested in mechanics all my life,” said Rob, whose late grandfather was a radio operator and a gunner during WWII.

Conducting a 30-minute presentation on the course, its applications and career opportunities was Ben O’Keefe, the PIA’s enrollment manager.

The in-depth, 16-month, 1,900-hour program is available starting in early January, late April and late August each year. It teaches and certifies students “to repair and maintain anything that flies,” such as an aircraft’s body, landing gear, fuel-ignition, navigation, fire-control, air-conditioning and piston systems, engine and structure, O’Keefe told an audience of about 100.

“Through this program, you learn a ton of skills for a ton of industries,” he explained, adding that the local facility also touches on avionics, which are electronics-communications systems used on aircraft and spacecraft. “We’re going to teach you from the ground up.”

The aviation industry is consistently growing, so an estimated 86 percent of those who complete the course land a job within a year after graduation, O’Keefe noted. He added that a top employer is Atlanta-based ExpressJet, which flies in and out of Cleveland Hopkins International Airport.

Those interested in applying must have a high-school diploma and are given a math-skills assessment test, O’Keefe said.

Students who finish the program and become certified are qualified to work on everything from commercial airliners to military planes to unmanned drones, noted Kylee Bennett, the PIA’s career-services coordinator.

To increase their chances of securing good-paying jobs, graduates also should be open to the possibility of relocating, be highly motivated and disciplined and have solid skills in resume writing and customer service, she pointed out.

One of those hoping to follow such a trajectory is 18-year-old Ben Tkacs of Berlin Center, a 2015 Western Reserve High School graduate.

“Drone work is what I’m trying to get into – either drones or an airliner,” Tkacs said, adding that he enrolled in the course Aug. 29, 2015, and plans to graduate in December.

Tkacs said that so far, he’s learned about basic electronics and safety systems. He also will gain experience in taking apart and reassembling engines, he continued.

The PIA’s Vienna facility also is planning a 40-foot expansion, which will include new offices and classrooms starting this spring, noted Dave Mitchell, the local campus director.

Besides grooming students for good careers in the field, the course provides them with added tools for developing stronger character skills and becoming more productive in society, Mitchell explained.

“We’re investing in the community,” he added.