DAYTON — A local community college has unveiled a new maintenance training facility at the Dayton International Airport.
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Sinclair Community College and Dayton International Airport officials hope this facility will help decrease the shortage of aircraft mechanics.
News Center 7′s Taylor Robertson spoke with Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted who was the keynote speaker for this unveiling.
“In the Dayton Region over the course of the last 30 years, we’ve gone from basically a situation where we had no aircraft maintenance programs, functioning to a very robust one at Sinclair,” Husted said.
Within the past five years, 210 degrees and certificates have been awarded through Sinclair’s Aviation Maintenance programs, according to a spokesperson from the college.
Currently, 148 students are enrolled in these programs.
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Husted said Dayton has never had any major aircraft manufacturers, but that will change with this new facility.
“We eliminated the sales tax on aircraft maintenance, which means that makes Ohio more attractive,” Husted said.
Prior to the sales tax being eliminated, Ohioans were taxed 7% of the total cost just to work on an airplane in the state.
“People just weren’t going to do it in Ohio because that’s a 7% tax that you weren’t paying in other states…So by eliminating that nearly 20 years ago now, that’s what led to a lot of this growth,” Husted said.
Husted also talked about how more aircraft mechanics are needed.
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The 14,000-square-foot training facility can be found in a newly renovated hanger at the Dayton International Airport.
“That’s why the credentialing and degree process that Sinclair’s doing in an amazing facility like this one translates to opportunity around the globe,” Husted said.
The new facility will provide Sinclair students with the latest technology and hands-on experiences needed for careers in the aviation maintenance industry, a spokesperson from the college said.
“Graduates of this program will be well-positioned for high-paying mechanic and maintenance jobs locally with PSA Airlines, Air Wisconsin, and other airline and aviation companies. This partnership will strengthen the viability of the Dayton region’s air travel economy,” Director of Aviation at the Dayton International Airport Gilbert Turner said.