Embraer General Manager Sean Peterson (second from left), on behalf of the Embraer Foundation, presents a check for $5,000 to Westfield Public Schools Superintendent Stefan Czaporowski as Westfield Technical Academy Principal Joseph Langone (l) and WTA Aviation Maintenance Instructor Galen Wilson (r) look on. (Submitted photo)
WESTFIELD – On Friday, Sean Peterson, general manager of Embraer Executive Jet Services in Windsor Locks presented a check for $5,000 from the Embraer Foundation to the Aviation Maintenance Program at Westfield Technical Academy. Embraer is the third largest commercial aviation company in the world behind Boeing and Air Bus, said Ed Watson, WTA General Advisory Board chair.
The grant will move a Falcon jet currently at the New England Air Museum to Hangar 2 at Barnes Airport. The jet, owned by the U.S. Coast Guard, will be donated to the AMT program at the school.
Mayor Brian P. Sullivan said he is happy with the business support, and happy to move forward with Hangar 2. “It’s all about the kids,” Sullivan said. Czaporowski and WTA Principal Joseph Langone also said they were grateful for the support of the business community, noting that Embraer S.A. also donated the money for the AMT uniforms.
The Falcon will replace a Lear jet, which lead instructor Galen Wilson said had been stripped of much of its parts. “The Falcon is a complete jet, although it hasn’t been running in six to seven years,” Wilson said.
Moving the Falcon, which has a 56 ft. fuselage and a wing span of 54 ft., Is a huge operation. The grant will pay for permits and state police escorts to bring it up from Windsor Locks. Czaporowski said the Coast Guard still needs to remove its identification from the jet. He said he hopes it will arrive by June, so students are able to work on it in September.
Meanwhile, the interior of Hangar 2 is being renovated for use as a classroom, thanks to a $500,000 Massachusetts Skills Capital Grant received from the Baker-Polito Administration in October.
Freshman Elizabeth Beshara is one of four girls in her Aviation Maintenance Technology class. (Photo by Amy Porter)
Czaporowski said he is hoping Hangar 2 will be open in September for seniors to work on power plant (engine) curriculum. To date, students have been working on everything but power plant, until the curriculum is fully implemented. Next year’s seniors, the first for the AMT program, will graduate with general and airframe certification. Czaporowski said that Rectrix, Aero Design and Gulfstream, all headquartered at Barnes have already hired three of the juniors in the class, one at each of the companies. “They’re scouting our kids,” Czaporowski said.
The demand for pilots and mechanics is huge right now,” said assistant instructor Krysten Renihan. She herself is a licensed pilot, and will be joining the Rhode Island Air National Guard flying C130’s once all the paperwork, which she said is abundant, goes through.
Renihan said the junior class in the AMT program has two girls, the sophomore class three girls, and the freshman class four girls. “Obviously, I love that. I think it’s great,” Renihan said.
New instructor Steve Dickinson co-teaches AMT freshmen with Wilson, and teaches the sophomore class. (Photo by Amy Porter)
One of the girls in the freshman class is Elizabeth Beshara, who was working on a propeller on Friday. “I heard that there are great opportunities with it and I could go places, and there’s a lot of money in the program, and they wanted female technicians and pilots,” Beshara said as the reason why she chose AMT.
Working alongside the freshmen on Friday was new instructor Steve Dickinson, who was hired in November. A Westfield native born and raised (WHS ’07), Dickinson formerly worked in A&P and avionics technology for Rectrix. He also served in the U.S. Navy and U.S, Air Force.
“I love this job, it’s a great job,” Dickinson said. “There are so many big companies in this area, so many job opportunities. It’s pretty awesome.” Dickinson is co-teaching the freshmen with Wilson, and teaching the sophomore class. He said they are going over aircraft drawings right now.
“What’s interesting, when we first started was the honeymoon period. Now it’s work. It’s not easy; there is a lot of science, math and physics. It’s a lot of work,” Wilson said. He said 32 freshmen selected AMT as their first or second choice this fall, out of which 14 were chosen. “It drops off quick when they realize that it’s such a demanding course,” Wilson added.
Next Friday, they will be moving a donated Pitts S1-C single engine acrobatic airplane from Hangar 2 to the school, according to Czaporowski. He said they will be bringing it over on a flatbed with the help of Horticultural students, driving down Route 202 at 9:30 a.m. He said Steve Dickinson’s father, who is on the Westfield Police force, will help escort the plane.
