Chattahoochee Tech celebrated the opening of the college’s Aviation Training Academy in Paulding County on Friday, April 26, with a ribbon-cutting event attended by state leaders and hundreds of people from the community.
The three-story, 55,000-plus square-foot facility located next to the Paulding Northwest Atlanta Airport will provide space for students to prepare for high-demand careers in aviation mechanics and maintenance. The facility features a 12,000 square-foot hangar along with instructional labs, classrooms, and a technical library. It also includes an administrative wing to provide for a testing lab and college faculty offices.
Classes began this spring in the nearby airport terminal building for students in the Aircraft Structural Technology diploma program. Classes also began this spring for the Avionics Bench Technician certificate program and the Aircraft Upholstery & Trim certificate program. An additional program of study planned for the Aviation Training Academy includes Aviation Maintenance Technician – Airframe and Powerplant, pending the completion of the FAA certification process and approval. Airframe and Powerplant mechanics repair, service and maintain parts of an aircraft that include the engine, landing gear, brakes and air-conditioning systems.
“There is a soaring industry demand for more aviation maintenance professionals,” said Chattahoochee Tech President Dr. Ron Newcomb. “They are the unsung heroes of the travel industry and some of its hardest workers. The Aviation Training Academy will allow us to respond to that workforce need and provide students with real-world, practical training for successful careers in this field.”
The Chattahoochee Tech Aviation Training Academy project was announced in 2018, with the project’s programming and design work beginning in 2021. Croft & Associates, a Georgia-based national architecture, design and engineering firm, created the design for this facility. Chattahoochee Tech hosted a groundbreaking ceremony on Sept. 9, 2022 to mark the beginning of construction, which was provided by Winter Construction, an award-winning Georgia-based commercial construction company.
Kristen Lee and Natalia Meneses are winners of the college’s 2024 outstanding student and instructor competitions. Karina Moyado Montoya is the Chatt Tech Adult Education program’s top award winner. Adrienne Baldwin was named Georgia’s TCSG top instructor for 2023.