PSC breaks ground on Aviation Airframe and Powerplant Mechanics Program facility

(Left to right) Alvin Bass, ST Engineering Senior Vice President and General Manager – Mobile Aerospace Engineering; Cliff Vonada, PSC A&P Program; Glenn Brackin, PSC A&P Program; Mike Listau, PSC Dean of Workforce Education; Lumon May, District 3 Commissioner; David Bear, Chair of Triumph Gulf Coast Board; Ashton Hayward, Former Pensacola Mayor; Doug Broxson, Former Member of the Florida Senate; Gordon “Flash” Sprague, Chair of PSC Board of Trustees; Dr. Troy Tippett, PSC Board of Trustees; Zachary Smith, PSC Board of Trustees; Dr. Ed Meadows, PSC President; Jason Mahon, Deputy Secretary of the Florida Dept. of Commerce; Jeffery Lam, ST Engineering COO and President of Commercial Aerospace; Mike Kohler, District 2 Commissioner; Tim Kinsella, City Administrator, Office of the Mayor of Pensacola; Ricky Brown, ST Engineering Director of Facilities; Bill Hafner, ST Engineering Vice President of Operations; Grover Robinson, Former Pensacola Mayor; Mike Morette, President of Morette Company; and Jen Kinego Del Gallo, Foundation Board Member.

Pensacola State College held a groundbreaking ceremony for its new 34,000-square-foot Aviation Airframe and Powerplant Mechanics Program facility on Monday, April 7, at 9 a.m. at the Pensacola International Airport.

PSC President Ed Meadows and Gordon “Flash” Sprague, Chair of the PSC Board of Trustees, expressed gratitude to the many partners involved in establishing the Pensacola State College’s Aviation Airframe and Powerplant Mechanics program and facility.

Sprague congratulated attendees for the role they played in making this program and facility possible, saying, “Our students and community of Northwest Florida are the benefactors of this endeavor and will continue to be the benefactors for years to come, thanks to the significant contributions and support you have provided to make this momentous occasion possible.”

Those partners include Gov. Ron DeSantis, awarding a Governor’s job growth grant from the Florida Department of Commerce, the Northwest Florida’s legislative delegation efforts to secure funding, funding from Triumph Gulf Coast, Santa Rosa County Economic Development, and ST Engineering, along with the collaboration of the City of Pensacola and the Pensacola International Airport Authority.

InDyne Corporation, owned by Don Bishop, was the first company to donate an airplane, a 1982 Fairchild Merlin IV.

The College is also in the application process to receive a decommissioned T1 Jayhawk aircraft, housed at NAS. This donation was initiated by the U.S. Air Force 812 Aircraft Maintenance Squadron Director of Maintenance Bret Klassen and Deputy Director of Maintenance Mike Copen.

“The development and expansion of aviation maintenance is a big part of what’s happening in the aviation world in northwest Florida,” said President Meadows. “With ST Engineering expanding [with Hangar 3], Leonardo Helicopters of Santa Rosa County, and many other local aviation maintenance businesses, we’ve been asked to meet that need by offering the Airframe and Powerplant Mechanics program. This is a tremendous opportunity for the College to step forward to meet this growing industry need, and we could not have done that without many different partners.”

The first cohort of students began the 18-month certification program in August 2024, receiving FAA-aligned airframe and powerplant mechanics training, with more students set to join the program in May.

“This program has been many years in the making and is in response to the significant shortage of aircraft mechanics who need to be trained to enter the workforce,” said Mike Listau, Dean of Workforce Education at PSC. “There are not enough people to go to work in this field.”

While the PSC program facility is being constructed, ST Engineering is providing students mezzanine space overlooking their Maintenance Repair Overhaul (MRO) facility and assembly floor, where they repurpose aircraft – such as converting passenger planes into cargo aircraft or updating passenger seating.

“This immersive environment allows students to overlook an actual employment prospect and envision a career in aviation maintenance, said Listau. “While our primary focus is to meet local workforce needs right here in the Pensacola area, this training enables students to pursue opportunities worldwide.”

Participants in the program come from diverse backgrounds, including veterans transitioning out of the military, dual-enrollment students still in high school, and members of the general public.

“PSC has a great team of instructors and support staff who have dedicated their lives to aviation and aviation mechanics,” asserted Listau. “Some are semi-retired military who have found a second career with us and are passionate about training our students to meet current workforce needs.”

Jeffrey Lam, President of Commercial Aerospace at ST Engineering, flew in from Singapore for the ceremony and made a great day for Pensacola State College a lot better by presenting the new A&P Mechanics program with a scholarship check for $100,000 “to be awarded to deserving students over the next five years…as a service to the community.”

Lam continued, “We look forward to the remarkable achievements of the students who will benefit from these opportunities,” thanking those in attendance for their partnership in building a brighter future for Pensacola and the aviation community.

With the expansion of this state-of-the-art training center, PSC is furthering its commitment to workforce development and preparing students to meet the demands of the aviation maintenance industry.

For more information, contact Sheila Nichols at 850-512-3609 or snichols@pensacolastate.edu.