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Thursday, August 21, 2008

Class Getting Off the Ground

By Lee Ross
Mountain View Telegraph
          The U.S. Southwest Soaring Museum handed over a $12,000 check to Moriarty High School Tuesday night.
        The money, presented to high school Principal Wayne Marshall by president of the museum's board of directors George Applebay, will be used to fund a introductory class on aircraft maintenance, repair and inspection.
        "I don't think many of our students know about that job field," Marshall said.
        To become a licensed aircraft mechanic, students would be required to complete an 18-month course after high school, a written test and physical examination. It's a certification for a job that is very much in demand these days, Marshall said. He added that aircraft mechanics can make more than $50,000 a year.
        "It's really exciting," he said, "sparking that kind of interest in our students."
        There are 25 students enrolled in the class, which will be taught by Bill Howard this year, according to Deor Jenson, a member of the museum's board of directors. Howard is a wood and auto-shop mechanic at the high school and during the past summer did work as a helicopter mechanic with the Army National Guard.
        The class curriculum is based on a Federal Aviation Administration publication that outlines acceptable methods, techniques and practices in aircraft maintenance, repair and inspection, Jenson said. It should give students a foundation for an Airframe and Powerplant, or A&P, license.
        The course will include trips to the museum; repairing gliders from the museum; learning to work with wood, different types of fabrics, steel and sheet metal; and gaining experience using epoxy resins, welding and using the tools of the trade.
        The cost of the class was covered in part by a $5,000 grand from Lockheed Martin and Sandia National Laboratories and the museum kicked in the remaining $7,000.
        "Promoting education is one of our major goals," Jenson said. "We want to build an education facility right there in the museum."
        The class at the high school might lead to further sources of funding, and the museum has already applied for a grant for the 2009-2010 school year.
        The U.S. Southwest Soaring Museum opened in June 2006 and the public can visit it daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., according to the museum's Web site. It is locate at the east end of Moriarty on Old Route 66.
        Call 832-0755 for more information on the museum.