NEWS RELEASE
For More Information Contact: Kristina Holmes, Fort Wayne-Allen County Airport Authority - (260)747-4146 x233 Ed Reed, Ivy Tech Community College - (260) 480-4250
For Immediate Release
September 20, 2007
New Aviation Education Facility at Smith Field Airport Opens
FORT WAYNE, IN – A dedication ceremony for the new Aviation Maintenance Technology Facility at Smith Field Airport (SMD) will be held Tuesday, September 25th at 2:30 P.M. The facility, which is the first new development at SMD in almost 30 years, currently houses classes in the Powerplant portion of the FAA-certified Airframe & Powerplant (A&P) License. Through the program, students will gain certification in the maintenance and repair of an aircraft’s engines.
Late last year, Fort Wayne-Allen County Airport Authority, The Fort Wayne-AllenCounty Economic Development Alliance, The City of Fort Wayne, Ivy Tech Community College, and Fort Wayne Community Schools partnered together to begin the transition to a full A&P Program at Smith Field Airport. Last December, the partners broke ground on the building and fast-tracked the project in order to begin offering courses at the facility in August of 2007. Plans are already underway for construction of a larger facility at SMD that would be able to house both the Airframe and Powerplant curricula. Initially, the course work will focus on Anthis Career Center students during the day, with students earning high school and college credit simultaneously. In the evening, students will be working towards a Associate in Applied Science Degree in Aviation Technology from Ivy Tech Community College. |