New aviation maintenance technician program at MTC to begin in January

By Julia Hazel | Manatee County

MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — Manatee Technical College is taking off with a new program. Its aviation maintenance technician school is set to open in a few months, giving students hands-on training to repair and maintain aircraft.

What You Need To Know

• Manatee Technical College is opening an Aviation Maintenance Technician program, giving students hands-on training to repair and maintain aircraft
• The demand for those skills is growing. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects jobs in aircraft maintenance will grow faster than average over the next decade
• Ashton Wines, a high school sophomore already taking flight lessons, plans to join the program to better understand aircraft mechanics and work toward becoming a commercial pilot

Homework may be keeping Ashton Wines grounded for now, but outside the classroom, he is already taking flight.

“I feel free and a sense of just freedom, being able to do and see many things,” he said.

As a sophomore at Manatee High School, he is not your average student — he is already learning to fly.

“I fly at Cirrus Aviation Flight School in Sarasota at the SRQ Airport. It’s flight training, and I have about 40 hours now,” he explained.

A video provided by his family shows him in the cockpit with an instructor. Next year, he hopes to fly solo.

“I love it, it’s fun, and it just shows me how much potential I could have to actually enjoy my job in the future,” he said.

Ashton wants to become a commercial pilot, but he also wants to understand how planes work. Soon, he may get that chance close to home.

Manatee Technical College is about to complete its new Aviation Maintenance Technician School, where students will learn the nuts and bolts of airframe and power-plant mechanics. Ashton plans to apply to the program.

“I think it’s exciting. It’s definitely good that a college near me is doing something with aviation so I can get involved,” he said.

The new facility is under construction at Sarasota Bradenton International Airport. Assistant Director Ton Saxton says classes are set to begin in January.

“Students are going to come in and learn from the ground up how to look at, diagnose, and repair engines, airplanes, anything related to the airplane frame or its mechanics,” he said.

The demand for those skills is growing. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects jobs in aircraft maintenance will grow faster than average over the next decade.

“You can go anywhere, from airlines to private companies to anyone who maintains airplanes. They’ll have that whole skill set they can transfer into the real world,” Saxton explained.

For Ashton, it’s one more step toward his dream.

“I’m excited to be able to work with planes and use my passion for a career,” he said.

Sarasota Bradenton International Airport says the program will help build a local workforce and fill high-demand, high-paying jobs in aviation.