AMT Aviation coordinator Krysten Renihan will be leaving in September to fly C130 cargo planes for the Air National Guard. (Photo by Amy Porter)
WESTFIELD – Krysten Renihan, aviation coordinator for Aviation Maintenance Technology (AMT) at Westfield Technical Academy will soon be leaving the program and the school for her next adventure; as a C130 pilot in the Air National Guard in Quonset, Rhode Island.
Renihan started in the summer of 2016 with the fledgling AMT program, and was there when they were certified by the Federal Aviation Administration in August of that year.
“This program is unbelievable; the level they’ve gotten to through sheer hard work and the volunteer services we’ve gotten from everyone. The FAA told us, ‘we did the impossible,’” Renihan said, adding that it was perfect timing, because the shortage in Aviation Maintenance Technology is reaching the crisis mode.
“Krysten stood with me on the foundation of this program and helped build it, one stick at a time. She was there before the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approved us. She wrote, proof read, re-wrote and re-wrote and… curriculum, policies, syllabus, projects, exercises, quizzes, test, etc. to satisfy the requirements of the FAA. She is truly a hard charger; a one of a kind professional that will (soon) be one of United States Air Force’s finest. Krysten is destined for great things. She has already proven that by what she did for us – Westfield Technical Academy’s Aviation Program,” said Aviation instructor and department head Galen Wilson.
Renihan never thought she’d be teaching. What she did know from an early age is that she wanted to be a pilot. She grew up in Auburn in a family with no experience in aviation, and her uncle the only connection to the military. Homeschooled, Krysten was an avid reader. “Something about the adventure of flying really appealed to me,” she said.
Asked if any book in particular attracted her to aviation, she said, “It’s kinda funny but it was reading about Star Wars fighter pilots that sparked my interest first as a kid. Han and Leia’s daughter, Jaina Solo, in the books is a pilot and she was my hero!” she said.
Renihan said her parents were supportive, but didn’t understand the appeal. Krysten has four sisters and one brother, none of whom are following in her path, but are historians and musicians, and her brother is into computer science.
“My parents’ friend had an airplane, and gave me a ride. I knew it was something that I wanted to do,” Renihan said. She never looked back. During high school, she worked in the airplane maintenance shop at the local airport in Sterling, Mass. She saved up to get her pilot’s license and a four-year degree in aviation management at Westfield State University, before that program ended a few years ago.
Krysten Renihan on the tail of a C130 cargo plane.
Renihan said she fell into the AMT job by accident. After graduating from college, she started working part-time in an airport. She said “out of the blue,” she got a call from the Air1 Flight School at Barnes Airport, run by Ed Watson. ”I knew him in school (WSU); he did flight training there. He remembered that I had aspirations, and offered me a job,” Renihan said.
Soon after, Watson said they needed someone at the AMT program which he helped to establish, and Renihan applied at his urging.
“I never thought I’d be teaching. Without a doubt, working with the students is the most rewarding part. If we didn’t have the students we have, we wouldn’t be as passionate as we are,” she said.
Renihan especially likes encouraging the girls in the program. “I think a lot of girls don’t even consider aviation. In my experience, people assume girls aren’t interested, and they don’t expose them to it.” When she started at WTA there were two girls in the freshmen class, who are now juniors in the program. Three girls joined the following year, and four this year. “We haven’t lost any girls,” she said.
“Aviation needs more girls in general,” Renihan said, noting that only 6% of pilots are women. “Girls don’t realize the opportunities that are available in aviation. There’s nothing more fun or rewarding than flying. The aviation industry as a whole is fantastic. The people you meet and places you go. Not many jobs give you those opportunities,” she said.
“It’s frustrating. We need more women,” Renihan added, saying that she likes the fact that at Westfield Technical Academy, every student goes through exploratory, and hears about all of the programs. “I don’t think it’s going to change until we expose more girls to aviation.” She also said right now is the perfect time to get into the field, and there are a lot of scholarships for all students.
She also tells the students that pilots wear flight suits, so they look cooler. “I tell the kids, 95% of being a pilot is looking cool,” she said.
Renihan learned about the job as a C130 pilot through Galen Wilson. “I spent my whole life figuring out what job in Aviation I wanted. I found this, and knew this is what I wanted,” she said. She said the C130 is a crew and cargo ship, which does a lot of humanitarian missions and cargo support.
“The C130 is cool because it’s smaller, more rugged than all other cargo planes. It’s a workhorse – more versatile – can do jobs nobody else can,” Renihan said, adding that she will be leaving for Officer’s School in September. She said as a pilot, she will be committed to ten years with the ANG after she graduates from pilot training, which is one year.
Renihan said her 20-year plan is to own and manage an airport and flight school with a maintenance shop.
“I’ll be sad to leave here, but I’m looking forward to pilot training,” she said, adding that she will miss the students a lot. “They gave me a Mother’s Day card; so cute. They all signed it. They were taking bets as to whether I’d cry,” Renihan said.
“She has been such a positive role model for the kids – girls and boys alike. Her influence on them will live in them forever. My daughter, a first grade teacher, once told me, ‘Students will not always remember what you teach them, but they will never forget how you treat them.’ I’m not sure if this quote belongs to my daughter, but it is so true. Think back to your high school years, do you remember the teacher(s) that treated you with kindness and respect? Krysten is THAT teacher,” Wilson said, adding, “I will miss her.”
