Articles

Airplane arrives at HCC campus as part of new aviation workforce training program

Sep 24, 2024

Houston Community College (HCC) has acquired an aircraft to use in its comprehensive aviation maintenance technician program.

The plane – a single-engine Cessna 150 – will be housed at the college’s North Forest campus.

The program is being developed after HCC won a $430,000 Aviation Workforce Development Grant from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). It will help to address the growing demand for skilled aviation technicians in the region.

HCC officials are working with industry experts to ensure state-of-the-art facilities and a robust curriculum that prepares students for FAA certification and successful careers in the aviation maintenance field, said David Vogel, dean at the Center of Excellence for Transportation at North Forest.

“Aircraft and avionics equipment mechanics and technicians play a vital role in repairing and performing scheduled maintenance on aircraft,” said Chancellor Margaret Ford Fisher, Ed.D. “This grant and the acquisition of the aircraft will help us provide the real-world education and practical skills that technicians in this important industry must obtain to be successful.”

The FAA grant is part of $13.5 million distributed to institutions across the nation to encourage people to become technicians and aviators.

Plans call for the first cohort of HCCS students in Fall 2025. HCC will release additional information about the program as it develops.