TURNERS FALLS — Members of the School Committee at Franklin County Technical School toured the new Aviation Maintenance Technology building last week, showcasing the space where students’ knowledge of aviation will take flight.
The hangar is the home of Franklin Tech’s Aviation Maintenance Technician Program, which was born out of a $4.2 million state grant the school was awarded in 2022. The grant paid for the 12,000-square-foot facility that sits on the west side of the campus, and $1.2 million was used to purchase equipment for the space.
Students in the program will be able to log the necessary hours for their licensing and certification in airplane maintenance.
Although the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) still needs to finish certifying Franklin Tech’s new airplane hangar, curriculum and equipment, a cohort of freshmen and sophomores have started with in-class, academic learning that can be done before the start of the FAA-certified curriculum.
When asked about how the students are doing as the program waits for final FAA approval, Superintendent Richard Martin said the wait “doesn’t put them behind, because they’re able to log the hours they need anyways. Now they just get to log those [hours] in a beautiful environment.”
Inside the spacious hangar are two small planes and the Franklin Tech Aviation Maintenance Technology helicopter, jokingly piloted by a stuffed bear in a safety vest.
The classroom and hangar space features various pieces of aviation electronics, called avionics, as well as classroom space, a hydraulics room and a dark room used to examine aircraft equipment and pieces for small cracks. Students also have access to mock-up jet engines to learn their mechanisms.
One of the unique features of the hangar is a 20,000-pound door that opens to access the tarmac behind the building. The signs for the building are illuminated at night and can be seen from Industrial Boulevard.
The students in the program are working under the guidance of aviation instructor Michael McIntyre, who was hired in June 2024. He has more than 20 years of experience in aviation, earning aircraft maintenance certifications from the FAA and racking up commercial and military flying hours. He was the Marine One crew chief during the George W. Bush administration and has spent time working with Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. to build aircraft in Westfield.
Before the start of the school year, McIntyre said he wanted to instill the students with a strong academic foundation while they wait for FAA approval, and help them understand the value of being an “honest mechanic.”
Notably, the government shutdown has furloughed 25% of employees at the FAA that are not classified as essential, such as air traffic controllers, Reuters reports. Martin said he is not concerned for an extended wait on final certification, and that this gives the school more time to finish moving equipment into the building.
School Committee members Adam Griffin of Buckland and Matt Duley of Greenfield shared their appreciation for seeing the additions being made on campus.
“It’s nice to see constant improvement, and see the school moving forward into the future and offering more for the students,” Duley said after seeing the inside of the building.
Martin said he thinks it’s important to have the School Committee on site to see the outcome of their support for establishing the new program.
“That means a lot when they have an opportunity to come out and see some of the good work that they’ve been supportive of all along,” Martin said.