Texas-based nonprofit that provides aircraft kits and instruction to schools nationwide. Students spend two years learning mechanical, electrical, and aerospace engineering fundamentals while assembling the two-seat, all-metal plane powered by a Rotax 912iS engine. Upon FAA inspection approval expected in spring 2026, participating students will fly in the aircraft they built. McAlester is one of only five Oklahoma schools undertaking such a project. The program addresses a concrete workforce challenge. Aviation companies across Oklahoma provide 120,000 direct jobs, yet the industry struggles to fill positions for aircraft maintenance technicians and pilots. Former McAlester students have progressed to Airframe and Powerplant certification programs, professional flight training, and maintenance careers at regional aviation employers. A TERMINAL BUILT FOR THE FUTURE The 4,500-square-foot terminal that opened in October 2025 nearly doubles the size of the structure it replaced, a cramped facility dating to 1951 that had seen minimal updates since 2004. Designed by GHN Architects & Engineers and built by Jim Cooley Construction, the new building incorporates features absent from any previous McAlester aviation facility: conference rooms for business travelers, dedicated classrooms for the high school aviation program, a modernized pilot’s lounge, and a covered patio with food truck hookups intended to activate the airport as a community gathering space. The $2.76 million project highlights how regional airports can leverage federal infrastructure investments when paired with other partnerships. The Federal Aviation Administration contributed $919,307 through the Airport Improvement Program and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funds. The Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission added $869,880 in state grants. The Choctaw Nation Development Fund provided $250,000, with the city of McAlester contributing $972,028 in local matching funds. City officials utilized every available funding source to achieve what Interim City Manager Ken Wimer described as “getting a new terminal building at a third of the cost.” 96 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 13, ISSUE 02
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