Two classrooms would be constructed where these small aircraft are parked as part of a new aircraft program for Westfield Vocational-Technical High School. The students would be provided hands-on and classroom training at the Hangar 2 building at Barnes Regional Airport. Above the two aircraft, in photo, would be an upper level for storage or other usage. (Photo by Frederick Gore)
WESTFIELD – The Westfield Vocational-Technical High School Aviation Advisory Committee met yesterday morning to discuss the progress of the school’s Airframe and Powerplant (A&P) Program, which is expected to begin educating students this fall.
During the meeting, the program’s finances and facilities were discussed, as well as aircrafts, library development and a determination for program development.
WVTHS Principal Stefan Czaporowski said that the meeting served the purpose of outlining what the group needs going forward.
“We have significant needs, like funding for instructors,” he said. “We have lots of grant applications out there, as well as business and industry people on our board.”
Czaporowski said that the advisory board selected FAA Part 147 or Part 65 as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) program the shop will be instructing, which will give students their A&P certification.
“Part 65 is a more work experience-based program, but when board members bring up ideas, we take them into consideration,” he explained, adding that WVTHS has engaged in talks with Gateway Regional High School to pick up pieces of an RV4 aircraft for students to work on.
“There is another plane that will be used for the weights and measures piece of the airframe and powerplant instruction,” said Czaporowski. “Probably over April vacation we’ll go pick it up (from Gateway).”
Course materials are also being compiled.
“We’ve obtained some books and we requested textbooks from the school department,” said Czaporowski. “The grant money from GulfStream hasn’t come in yet, but anything that the school department can’t buy, grant money will have to cover.”
In total, the A&P program has accumulated a $1 million workforce development grant from the state combined with the $200,000 GulfStream grant, along with a $36,000 Perkins grant, $25,000 from the Department of Transportation, and over $11,000 from the Westfield City Council.
It has also obtained $500,000 from the Westfield Community Preservation Committee and last week acquired $127,000 from the City Council to get an engineering firm to complete the outside and inside renovation work of Hangar Two at Barnes Regional Airport.
Czaporowski advises anyone interested in donating to the program to do so by contacting WVTHS.
“There’s a gift account already set up through the city, so we would get the routing information for people who are looking to donate,” he said.
