When a dozen national employers send reps to a graduation of a handful of Cape Cod Community College students, floating jobs with fine starting pay and benefits, high-altitude futures, relocation reimbursement as necessary — that’s real interest.
Aviation is the industry, and the employers included Boeing, American, Delta, General Electric, Republic, Piedmont, as well as hometown Cape Air (which had a lot to do with making this moment possible). Twenty students graduated in a late-summer ceremony in a hangar at the Plymouth airport where “Aviation Maintenance Technology” lives, joining more than 200 who already have matriculated. Almost 180 are now “certificated,” meaning they have licenses to become commercial aviation mechanics.
“Of those,” adds director Michael Sasso, “every single one has a job. If you make it through and don’t get a job, it’s because you don’t want one.”
The program has a 90-percent completion rate, 85-percent federal certification. The industry predicts there will be demand for 630,000 aviation mechanics over the next 30 years. Starting pay is around $65,000 a year.
The program lifted off in 2016, launched with government support and a donation of a Cape Air twin-engine Cessna meant to be taken apart and put back together many times. Since then Cape Air has donated another Cessna (a third might be in the works) and the school has added three single-engine Pipers (including one with fabric skin), two Falcon jets (one formerly in Coast Guard service), even a little R-22 Robinson helicopter. There are jet engines and props mounted at workstations, overseen by 14 instructors.
With $24,000 tuition for two years, students get started with a great toolbox they keep, all the required airframe, engine, and maintenance courses, testing, as well as an associate’s college degree given some additional academic work.
Patrick Balfe knows that’s a real deal. He had finished changing a bleed valve on one of the Falcons, half-way through the course. A Barnstable High School graduate, he and Anna Hodgkins from Scituate were in faculty member Nathan Griffin’s class, eyeing the job fair inside the hangar.
“I can see how this can really set us up in a good way,” said Balfe.
At the other end of the spectrum was Bradley Barrus, hanging at the Republic booth because he now works there. Barrus helped run the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant for more than 30 years, and when it closed he got government support to come to the aviation school and re-tool. He graduated in August 2021, at 65 years old, “the oldest student for sure,” he laughed. He was holding down the Republic booth with Samantha Pena, another CCCC graduate, who joined Republic in October and has just bought a home in New Bedford.
“This isn’t like getting a degree in art history,” said Barrus. “It’s an education with real demand.”
Mike Rupple, a mechanic at Cape Air, has the advantage of introducing jobs to those who want to stay nearby. “Lots of times people ask about pay when they stop in,” he said, “and we’re competitive. Some start higher but there’s more to it.” Five mechanics now working at Cape Air have come through the program, he estimated.
Big player GE has 120 openings right now in engine-specific mechanical work. But that means relocating to Indiana – with a $3250 incentive to do so. GE’s plant in Lynn, Massachusetts, where assembly and testing takes place, also is hiring.
Ed MacAskill from American Airlines said AA hired “500 mechanics in the last year.” COVID threw a monkey wrench into airline machinery; lots of employees retired or left and weren’t replaced because everyone expected travel to remain depressed.
“But demand came right back,” said MacAskill, and airlines are now scrambling:
“Using Boston as an example, 22 planes come in at night, and 22 need to go out in the morning. So you might start with a night shift, but if you get your license you have a job.”
Many ancillary skills – welding, paint booth, electricity – also have what Mike Sasso calls “transferability.” Graduates don’t have to go into aviation; some have wound up working on Otis elevators, roller coasters, perhaps in the emerging offshore wind industry.
Sasso says there are fewer than 200 such programs around the country, and he’s sure his graduation rate is among the best. Being a second-generation airframe and powerplant mechanic, many years in hangars, he’s walked this walk and jokes that he has an ulterior motive for success:
“I want plenty of graduates because I don’t want to get called back to work again!”
With capacity for three courses at a time, 20-25 students per course, there’s no waiting list to get in, though there is an application and interview process. So if you’re mechanically inclined, or want to become mechanically inclined, check it out:
https://www.capecod.edu/aviation/
I got my A&P license in ‘61 and worked for American for $2.52 and 1/2 cents per hour, on the original Boeing 707s, mostly on the midnight shift, which gave me a lot of beach time.
Stayed in aviation for 10 years, 2 of which were with the Army aviation section, at Ft. Gordon GA., where I also became a member of their flying club and worked ($1/ hr) on and learned to solo on their Piper Cub, Super Cub and a Cessna 140.
The Pipers were fabric covered. Loved it.
My last 4 years were with Air America, “The World’s Most Shot at Airline”… look it up.
Fantastic program! Didn’t know of its existence and should be promoted. Capt. Sully Sullenberger wrote an article a few years ago about the need for domestic maintenance of aircraft, and that the international sourcing out of it was dangerous. Even the PBS show, This Old House, has promoted the trades by bringing on interns to the show. We are in big trouble without these knowledgeable people. Thank you!