Youngstown airport lands new Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics school

From press release:

Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics (PIA) will break ground at 10 a.m. announcing plans for a $1.54 million expansion and the historic purchase of its Youngstown Campus building located at the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport at 1453 Youngstown-Kingsville Road NE in Vienna, OH.

The groundbreaking marks the beginning of construction for a two-story facility at the south side of its Hangar 3 building - set to feature new electrical and welding classrooms, an aeronautics lab, administrative offices and a conference facility.

Phase 1 of the project is expected to be finished by Dec. 1, 2016 with the second phase of the project planned for a March 1, 2017 completion.

The campus also includes a student resource center with a computer lab and publications library. PIA’s hangar includes specialized shop areas for aircraft propulsion systems, electricity, sheet metal, hydraulics, instruments & controls, composite materials, non-destructive testing, welding, and painting.

Plans were developed with Sidock Group, Inc., an architect, engineer and project manager specialized in the heavy industrial and aerospace industries. Jack Gibson Construction Co. of Warren, OH will serve as general contractor.

“Our expansion is a pivotal first step in the significant renovation and expansion of the learning environment and technology available to our students,” said Suzanne Markle, Executive Vice President of PIA. “Ohio has a strong history in aviation, and PIA continues to play a large part in the growth and development of the aviation industry.”

Since 2006, Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics’ Youngstown Branch campus has been training certified and work-ready aviation maintenance technicians in high demand with a 16-month diploma program in Aviation Maintenance Technology.

According to Boeing’s 2015 Current Market Outlook, the aviation industry will require more than one million new aviation personnel—558,000 commercial airline pilots and 609,000 maintenance technicians between 2016 and 2034.