Courtesy art of the Midland College Aviation Maintenance program

Midland College holds a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) license to operate an Aircraft Maintenance Technology (AMT) school. In August of this year, an FAA representative from Lubbock will come to Midland and remove that license. The Midland College AMT school will close. This article will address that unfortunate result.

If you are reading this article and have flown on an aircraft, you may well owe your present existence to FAA licensed Aircraft Maintenance Technicians (AMTs or A&Ps, as they are commonly known in the aerospace industry). 

From the FAA website: "The Federal Aviation Administration is the organization responsible for managing our nation's busy skies. With more than a million domestic passengers and countless tons of cargo in the air every day, our mission is a far-reaching and critical one. Our nationwide workforce is dedicated to providing the American public with the safest, most efficient and environmentally responsible civil aviation systems and airspace possible."

A&Ps are the front line of safety and airworthiness of aircraft in aviation.  According to the FAA, the following shows Texas' current A&P jobs:

Employment per thousands of jobs: 1.22

"About 14,400 openings for aircraft and avionics equipment mechanics and technicians are projected each year [nationwide], on average, over the decade. Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire."  14,400 x 10 = 144,000.  For more information, see the FAA website.

Approximately two years ago, the Midland College board of trustees voted to disband its AMT program. The reason given at that time was largely one of money. The AMT school, in its current configuration, does not pay for itself through tuition. Arguably, Midland College as a whole does not pay for itself through tuitions, as noted each year on Midland residents' property tax bills. There are probably some programs that do pay for themselves, but based on needed tax revenue, these are few. 

There are approximately 180 AMT schools nationwide. To meet the demand for 144,000 A&Ps in 10 years, each school would have to produce 80 A&Ps yearly. As a nation, if we do not meet that demand, aircraft maintenance goes overseas, and/or flight restrictions in commercial and general aviation will follow. We know what it is like to depend on foreign states for goods and services; we have our foot in a Chinese vice right now, or ask Germany.

What has changed locally over the past several years?  In a major recent decision, the Midland City Council decided to keep and expand Airpark. MAF now has a space port license authorizing it to accommodate horizontal takeoffs and landings of rocket powered aircraft to serve commercial spaceflight. AST & Science, and Kepler Aerospace Ltd. have located at MAF. 

"The Midland International Air & Space Port is the first to be co-located with a major commercial airport. It is FAA approved as a Commercial Space Launch Site. The launch site is currently being used by AST & Science, a satellite testing and manufacturing company, who has recently raised $128 million in investment. Satellite technology company, Kepler Aerospace, has also located in the Spaceport Business Park and is benefiting from access to affordable space and state-of-the-art equipment." At a recent meeting, officials from Kepler indicated a future need of approximately 20 A&Ps. Midland Development Corp. (MDC) advertises "Airframe Mechanics and Aircraft Maintenance Technology/Technician" as part of Midland's Local Talent as an inducement for companies to locate in Midland. MAF recently acquired a one-half section of land for expansion of airport facilities, and a new fixed base operator (FBO) for MAF is in the wings.

Vertical takeoff and landing electric aircraft for commuting are here. Not a flying car; not a toy; not a model aircraft. As reported in the British Broadcasting Corporation, Science Focus, "Why Flying Taxis Are Coming Sooner Than You Think," a number of companies are building air taxis to make our journeys faster, easier and cleaner; to wit, Boeing, Embraer, Pratt & Whitney, Eviation, Ampaire, BETA Technologies, Bye Aerospace, Lilium, Zunum, Longanaire, Siemens, Pipistrel USA, Joby Aviation, Electric Aircraft Corporation, Magnix, Duxon, Harbour Air (seaplanes), and more. Midland College AMT formal, required classes include: Basic Electricity, Aircraft Electrical Systems, and Aircraft Powerplant Electrical. AMTs educated at Midland College will be ready.

Want to run to the field to check on a well or a frac job? Your vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, sitting in the parking lot of your office will get you there quickly. You can recharge the batteries using the rig's powerplant and fly back to the office. No more fighting traffic on Interstate 20 or deadly Farm-to-Market Road 1788.

Some things have not changed. We have FBOs at both MAF and Airpark which are licensed facilities. They employ A&Ps for line services and maintenance. If Midland College's AMT program disappears, those FBOs can recruit elsewhere, but many of Midland College's A&Ps wish to remain in this area. That latter pool of candidates seems more reachable than having to entice someone to move to Midland.

Midland College's AMT school is a gem. It has its own hangar at MAF, located near the Vietnam Memorial, across the street from the old Reserve Training Center. The facility is complete with many fixed wing aircraft and helicopters on which to learn and train. With highly qualified and personable instructors, training is divided into three sections: General, Airframe and Powerplant. The required classes require between 1,900 and 2,200 classroom and lab hours. The widely varying instruction will include welding, weight and balance, landing gear, turbine engines, reciprocating engines, dope and fabric, electricity, sheet metal fabrication and riveting, Federal Aviation Administration regulations, hydraulics, fuel systems, air conditioning and heating, propellers and many more. I am as proud of my A&P licenses as my law degree.

The tuition for the entire Midland College AMT program is approximately $14,000. In comparison, the same private programs at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and Spartan College of Aeronautics and Technology are approximately $100,000 and $90,000 respectively. Additionally, Midland College offers an accompanying AA degree to enhance the A&P school diploma. Scholarships are available, including those of Midland West Rotary which are dedicated to students in the technology sector of Midland College.

Following cancellation of the program and concomitant cessation of recruiting, officials at Midland College think it would take two years to get the A&P school up and running again. Is there a chicken and egg in the process? Yes, the Midland College board of trustees would have to reinstate it. 

Then there is always the question of money. It would be best if the program would pay for itself through tuition revenue. That will probably not be possible in the near term and may never be possible. Midland College is funded in part by taxpayer dollars, and there are those who argue that private funding for a tax-supported entity is inappropriate. In reality that's not how it works; there are multiple private foundations and entities that support Midland College. One obvious additional possibility for funds is Midland Development Corp.

MDC has a history of recruiting air- and space-related businesses: Xcor, Trace Engines and a space suit company, all of which have come and gone. Now we have AST and Kepler, which have a firm presence. As long as MDC and local government bodies are recruiting and seeking to expand aeronautical businesses, support from MDC seems appropriate and logical. An official at MDC says that Midland College would have to make the request for MDC funds to support the AMT school. The Midland College board of trustees or other officials are unlikely to make that request without first voting to reinstate the AMT school.          

If you believe that reinstatement of the AMT program is in the best interest of local businesses, the city and county of Midland, Midland International Air and Space Port, Midland College, the state of Texas, and the United States of America, please contact your Midland College trustee and voice your opinion. 

The timeframe is short. For classes to begin in August, a lot of recruiting will have to be done. More than 60 persons have inquired about the school since the trustees decided to shut the program down. Inquiries do not always equate to students, but the calls continue to come in; two in the last week, one of them from Nigeria.

The school has hosted foreign students in the past. One was from Taiwan, here on a green card. He became a U.S. citizen and works for American Airlines as a nationwide troubleshooter. 

 Please do your part. Contact a Midland College trustee, and make your opinion known.

Edmund T. Anderson, IV, is an attorney and FAA Certificated Airframe and Powerplant mechanic

Facebook: www.facebook.com/MidlandCollege

Trustees – Steven Kiser, Linda Cowden, Larry Lawrence, Paul Morris (chairperson), Steven Castle, Charlene McBride, Adrian Carrasco, Scott Lynch, Scott Kidwell