Aviation Technology freshmen with their instructor Chris Chaves and James Aylward. (SUBMITTED PHOTO)
WESTFIELD – Galen Wilson, head of Aviation Technology at Westfield Technical Academy, recently expressed gratitude for the donation of a brand new aircraft tail section from James Aylward of Westfield.
Aylward is a retired United States Air Force F-15 pilot who now flies the Boeing 777 for FedEx.
The aircraft Van’s RV-8 complete tail section with all of the associated hardware and tooling is worth well over $10,000, according to Wilson.
“This donation is so significant to our program! The value of training that will be gained by our High School students cannot be understated. From this donation, students will learn aircraft structures – materials and processes; flight control weight and balance; aircraft drawings and blueprints and aircraft hardware just to name a few,” he said.
Wilson said donations such as these are a testimony to the generosity of Westfield citizens.
“What’s more, it shows how people are willing to give back to a career field that has served them well – Aviation,” he said, adding that while the past 15 months have been difficult, “to have a citizen come out of the blue and make such a generous donation to our program, well, it warms the heart.”
