Aviation Technology Academy

By Keith Harder

There are very few schools in existence like the Aviation Technology Academy that I am privileged to be a part of as a high school junior. The Des Moines, IA Academy was established as a National Defense Training School in 1943 as part of a program providing support for WWII. It is one of the few FAA certified schools in the nation that allow high school students to earn their Airframe and Powerplant (A&P) certificates and/or a start toward a pilot’s license. It also offers students a chance to get nearly all of the credits needed to earn an Associate of Applied Science degree right out of high school! The college credits and degree are through Indian Hills Community College, in association with the Des Moines Public School District and Central Campus. All of this is free to the students while still in high school!

A student who has already graduated high school and has a partially completed A&P certificate through the ATA can finish the following year at the same facility. The tuition will be the responsibility of the student, the same as if you choose to enroll in the program as a normal college student. You don’t have to be a fresh-out-of-high school kid either, there is currently man in his 60s attending with the intention of getting his certificates! The skills offered by this course are not only applicable to aviation. They include a long list of subjects including, but not limited to: Electricity, Welding (gas, MIG, and TIG), Fine Woodworking, Hydraulics and Pneumatics, Composites and Fabrics, Hand and Power Tool use, Precision Measuring and Calibration Tools, Sheet Metal Construction, Forming, and Repair, Nondestructive Testing Methods, and Painting Methods and Application.

The A&P certification course is broken down into three categories of study: General, Airframe, and Powerplant. In General, you get an overview of the industry, aircraft maintenance, and flight principals; in Airframe you get in-depth training on the aircraft airframe and its systems, and experience welding, riveting, and painting. In Powerplant you learn about the workings of the engines that keep aircraft flying, including magnetos, carburetors, and jet engine operation. Aside from the A&P license, you may also take Pilot training, which includes classroom instruction, including an FAA approved flight simulator, and online ground school.

Training and certification from a school like ours’ puts students way ahead, leaving behind the worst part of college: the tuition cost and debt that could take years to pay off. Jumping right into the industry will also give you a few years seniority on other technicians your age, and the benefits that come with that. Should you be interested in earning an A&P certificate and/or pilot’s license this is the way to go.

For more information visit: https://centralcampus.dmschools.org/transportation/aviation/