Westfield-Barnes Regional Airport

That being said, Willenborg notes that looking towards the future in terms of workforce development in the aviation industry, that is definitely on the Airport’s agenda. “We’re very fortunate in that we have one of maybe three or four high school programs that are FAA-approved,” he exclaims. “These students at Westfield Technical Academy meet the FAA requirements to get an A&P license. By the time they graduate, and if they pass the FAA testing, they will have their airplane license. They have over 60 kids in the program, and we just had a graduation ceremony.” The Airport also works with the Western Massachusetts Wright Flight Program, whose mission is to educate students from grades seven through high school level in the history of aviation, its future, the significance of aviation in the development of technology, its global impact, and the many careers in the aviation industry. The program emphasizes the importance of setting goals, developing plans to attain those goals, and understanding the need to develop skills in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). The program also seeks to recruit and integrate students of diversity into the aviation industry. “That’s an after-school program,” says Willenborg. “Kids go for 13 weeks and if they pass the test and meet all the requirements, they actually get to fly an airplane with a certified flight instructor. They get their first log book and their first hour of flight time. We do about 100 students a year here at the Airport.” PREFERRED VENDOR n E.T.& L. Corp. www.etlcorp.com