Technician - Winter 2011

Branch Campus News Pieces of PIA on the Moon?

School History, Kentucky Plane Crashes, and more

IN THIS ISSUE

Branching Out in Hagerstown J. Mader

Every organization defines itself by establishing its mission and by setting the goals it needs to achieve that mission.

By its very nature, Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics (PIA) operates with three specific goals in mind. First and foremost, as a private non-profit entity, PIA must be able to sustain itself without external assistance. Stories of high quality organizations that failed financially and no longer exist are legendary. Second, the school must be able to endow its student clients with the skills needed to be successful in the career field of their choice. PIA prides itself in its alumni, the people who afford the school the reputation it currently enjoys. Graduates, in turn, benefit from the quality education received. Third, PIA must avail its industry clients of the human resources necessary to be successful.

If the technicians acquired from PIA are valuable assets to the organization and there are not enough of them to be effective, all parties involved suffer.

Enrollment at the Main Campus in West Mifflin, PA has reached and maintained a plateau in recent years, and although the school is sustaining itself financially and continues to present a quality education, it is not achieving its third goal of providing the aviation industry with the requisite number of entry level technicians.

Thus, PIA has decided to pursue a policy of expanding its student population by adding more locations. The YoungstownWarren Campus, which opened its doors in August 2006, continues to grow, and is reaching the enviable problem of running out of space. Another branch campus is beginning to take shape in Maryland.

The Hagerstown Branch Campus is situated on the Hagerstown Regional Airport. It currently occupies 11,000 sq. ft.

in the Top Flight Airpark, a building that formerly housed the Fairchild Aircraft Company’s A-10 Thunderbolt II production line. The new location’s immediate neighbors include Sierra Nevada Corporation, Augusta-Westland Helicopters, and Rider Jet. These on-field employers are eager to reap the harvest of technicians that will soon flow from PIA’s newest affiliate. The school is scheduled to begin classes on April 29, 2011 and the first group will then graduate on August 17, 2012.

Opening a new location is always a major endeavor. First, the necessary approvals must be obtained, in this case from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC), and the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC). The approval process for each of these regulating agencies is divided into two components, an initial phase when a great deal of planning and operational procedure is revealed, and a second phase when the final details, including an onsite inspection, are realized. PIA has completed the initial phase for each entity and received the accompanying approvals to continue from all three agencies. After the initial endorsements have been received, equipment and staff must

be acquired. The majority of the training equipment and infrastructure are presently situated at the site. Most importantly, experienced and qualified staff members have been hired and are helping to build out the facility.

When completed, PIA’s Hagerstown Campus will offer both full-time and part-time training for aviation maintenance technicians in the form of a 1,900 hour, FAA-approved curriculum. The full-time program can be completed in 16 months, and the part-time course of study in 32 months. Completers will receive a diploma and authorization to test for their A&P certification. Students will be able to use federal financial aid to help pay for tuition and living costs. Those who wish to acquire an associate degree can transfer to the Main Campus for only six months and add that credential to their resumes.

PIA looks forward to the addition of this high quality learning site where it can provide its two most important clients, students and the industries they serve, with the skills and resources that they both need to be successful, and in so doing, continue to achieve its mission. ( If you think education is expensive, try ignorance.

Thunderbolt II aircraft were once built on this spot. Now PIA will build aviation maintenance technicians that will support aircraft and other industries in Washington County and beyond.

EDITORIAL STAFF CONTRIBUTORS: Todd Kruszka & Greg Null, Co-Editors Kylee Bennett, David Koehler, James Mader, Suzanne Markle, Frank Bria, Associate Editor/Photography/Layout Lauren Roberts, Steve Sabold, Lola Suvak Cover Shot: PIA’s newest arrival rolls back to the hangar. This King Air BE-90 was donated last year. More information can be found on page 11. (photo by Frank M. Bria)

2 Technician

Pieces of PIA in Space?

L. Suvak Over the past few years, PIA has hosted Carnegie Mellon University’s Robotics Institute/Astrobotic Technology in our composites lab. CMU and Astrobotic Technology’s goal is to have a lunar rover on the Moon to study the best way to get humans to revisit its landscape 40 years later. This undertaking is in an effort to win the Google Lunar X Prize. This international competition encourages teams to build a lunar rover that can successfully land on the Moon, travel at least 500 meters over the terrain, and send images and data back to Earth. The prize is $30 million dollars. This competition harkens back to the famed Raymond Orteig Prize that Charles Lindbergh won by flying the Spirit of St. Louis from New York to Paris in 1927. Competition does indeed create innovation.

Composite material has revolutionized aerospace. These plastics are used more and more in aircraft design as a way to cut weight. Composites are also used in spacecraft as well, and CMU feels that it will put them ahead of the competition.

“Light, strong composites are essential to all modern aeronautic systems, and even more so for space,” says William “Red” Whittaker, one of the top robotics professors in the country, “they are the backbone of the CMU/Astrobotic Google Lunar X Prize initiative.”

2011 Memorial Scholarship Golf Outing S. Sabold

Through the years, several memorial scholarships have been established at PIA. These scholarships were created to memorialize someone who had a love of both aviation and the school. In order to perpetuate these funds, this golf outing was created. Last year, we raised $3,100 dollars for student fundraisers and we hope to raise even more this year.

Why work with PIA on such a lofty mission? “PIA is a superb collaborator for co-developing composite parts for our moon mission, since PIA teaches and applies state-of-the-art technology in its curriculum, and has the unique facilities within the Pittsburgh region for this work,” Whittaker notes. We at PIA are very excited and are cheering for CMU’s team, too! You can follow the X Prize at http://www.googlelunarxprize.org/ (

Plans Underway for a Campus in Myrtle Beach S. Markle

As part of a long term growth strategy, Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics is planning to open an Aviation Maintenance program in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

Students will have the option to pursue Airframe and Powerplant training as a certificate program or as an Associate in Occupational Technology degree.

The degree component will be available through a partnership with nearby Horry Georgetown Technical College.

PIA is currently pursuing the necessary certifications and approvals to offer the program, while participating in the renovation of a new facility near the Myrtle Beach International Airport. The target date to begin training at the Myrtle Beach campus is the January of 2012.

CMU/Astrobotic Technology “Red Rover”

The event will be held at Quicksilver Golf Club in Midway, PA on Saturday, September 10, 2011. PIA is currently looking for golfers and sponsors at this time. For more information, contact Steve Sabold at 412.346.2122 or ssabold@pia.edu.

Thank you for your continued support.(

The city and county governments in the area have shown considerable support for PIA and for this new program. The new branch campus is one part of a larger plan to develop an Aviation Airpark near the Myrtle Beach International Airport and bring more employment opportunities to the region. Local officials realized that a skilled workforce would be needed in the area to help attract aviation businesses, and PIA’s new training facility will fulfill part of that need. (

Alumni Pins Available Alumni! PIA now has Alumni pins available for purchase. Show your school pride on your lapel, ID tag, or favorite shirt. Each pin is $5. To order, send a check payable to the Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics, PO Box 10897, Pittsburgh, PA 15236. Make sure to include your name, address, how many pins desired, and even a note on what you are doing these days! ( Winter 2011 3

Can Technology Keep You From a New Job? G. Null Facebook, Myspace, and other social networking systems are a great way to keep in touch with friends, family, and organizations. Even PIA has a few Facebook pages! In many ways, these sites allow us to cultivate our own little space on the vast internet landscape.

More and more, you hear about employees being fired or reprimanded by their employers for writing something critical on their personal pages. I have heard from more and more employers scanning these sites in an effort to learn more about prospective candidates; sometimes photos or comments are found that could cause the employer to reconsider a possible job offer.

1. Time For a New Email Address Your email address should include your first and last name so an employer can accurately identify you from the masses of applicants. Having an email address that is a mish-mash of numbers and letters or (worse) one that pegs you as someone undesirable (think thedrunk1@email.com) is enough to turn any employer off.

2. Set Your Privacy Settings As High As Possible When using social networking sites, make sure that your own privacy setting are set to their highest parameters. Strangely, default privacy setting are generally set at zero. The user must go in and change the settings him or herself. Make it so only “friends” can view your wall and photos. Then make sure that you only accept “friends” that you feel comfortable viewing such things. Take all privacy settings as high as the site will allow.

3. Monitor Photos of Yourself Facebook is an archive of your activities.

Photos you uploaded a year ago are still on there. You may not upload photos onto your own page, but your friends can “tag” you in theirs. When tagged, a link will

Technician 4

come up making such a photo viewable to others. Ask your friends not to tag you or go in and “untag” your images. Scrutinize all of these photos as one of you acting careless can be the difference between a job offer and no offer.

4. Watch What You Write The “wall” is a place for you and your friends to write comments on any topic at all. Be careful what you write on here.

Criticizing your current boss can show employers that you are someone who complains without trying to solve the problem. Writing “out partying” on a Tuesday morning is also a sign of trouble.

You are free to write whatever you wish on these sites, but realize that such comments are for the world to see and judge.

5. Get Rid of These Sites All Together Your friends won’t stop writing crazy things on your walls or posting photos of you? Are you spending so much time on these sites that your grades, job hunting, or social life is in peril? Delete your page.

Staying in touch with your high school friends is not worth the future wages of a new job.

Technology has brought all of us closer together. Now we must make sure that we use it in such a way that does not limit our opportunities in the future. (

The Field Technician PIA alumni are all over the country and the world. Some are permanently stationed; others are just passing through.

Technicians of all stripes tend to travel a good bit of the time. Whether AOG or on vacation, we are calling on our alumni to snap a photo of themselves with our Technician magazine and send us a copy so we can print it in the next issue. Camera shy? Prop your magazine up against a sign, statue, landscape, etc. Send your image as a JPG, along with a description of the photo and who is (or isn’t) in it. Send this to gnull@pia.edu and we will publish them in the next issue. (

Send us your photos with the Technician!

Above, “The Newsboy” in Mesa, AZ.

“The physical labor is the smallest and easiest part of what a mechanic does. By far the greatest part of his work is careful observation and precise thinking.”—Robert Pirsig

Employers Hiring Our Graduates Advanced Aircraft Services • Avcraft • Air Wisconsin • American Eurocopter • Boeing • Bombardier Aerospace • Castle Aviation • Constant Aviation • Chautauqua Airlines • Commutair • Dynamic Aviation • EG&G • Embraer • Flight Options • GE Aero Engines • General Atomics • Goodyear Airship • Gulfstream Aerospace • Gulfstream International Airlines • Lockheed Martin • Life Air • Micron Technology • Nextant Aerospace • PSA Airlines • Piedmont Airlines • Pinnacle Airlines • Preferred Airparts • Quality Aviation Instruments • Sikorsky Aircraft • Stat Medevac • Three Rivers Marine Electronics • Total Equipment Co. • Trans States Airlines • Union Railroad • Winner Aviation

A Trip to the Women in Aviation Conference

Five Questions with…

L. Kemerer-Roberts (’10 AET grad)

1. Why did you decide to come to PIA? I always wanted to be in aviation and I thought PIA gave me the best opportunity to do so.

Seven years ago, I was given a questionnaire about what I thought my future would be like in ten years. As I remembered my answers, I realized how many things can change in just a few years. I wrote that I would be a lawyer living in Montana. My life as it is now is on the other spectrum of that vision.

Some might see my dreams as not coming true, but I recognize that a person cannot plan their future. You just have to sit back and enjoy the ride. My so-called “ride” guided me to the Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics where many dreams of mine have come true. Those dreams consisted of finding my niche and experiencing a trip of a lifetime.

Before I came to PIA, I felt lost and without direction. I did not know what I wanted to do with my life. I spent a few years tracing my interests until one day while I was at work I said to myself “I always wanted to go into space.” I always wanted to be an astronaut. I tossed those thoughts aside when I was younger because I did not have the confidence in my intelligence. Since I was running out of options, I took a leap of faith to make a childhood dream come alive. At the time, I did not know that my choice would transport me down a road full of experiences, opportunities, and people I never dreamed of.

For most people, the sky is the limit, but for those who love aviation, the sky is their home. PIA helped me reach my home when they helped fund a trip to Orlando, FL for me to accept two scholarships. One of the scholarships, from Pratt & Whitney, gives me the chance to learn their maintenance techniques in either Connecticut or Canada. The other award, Flight Safety International’s ‘Principles

of Troubleshooting,’ will help me gain knowledge as an avionics technician.

It was the chance of a lifetime to go to the Women in Aviation International Conference 2010. Ms. Brianne Goodwin, PIA’s Physics and Shop instructor, accompanied me on the four day trip and an experience I will never forget.

The conference gave people from all parts of the world and from all aspects of the aviation industry the chance to join together and discuss and display their love of all things aviation. The conference was held at the Coronado Springs Resort in Disney World. There were so many things to do and see at the conference. There were days of seminars including FAA IA renewals, crash investigations with the NTSB, and workshops for instructors.

Since I was a scholarship winner, I went to United Technologies Corp’s networking event. There I met employees from Pratt & Whitney, Sikorsky, and Hamilton Sunstrand. It was great to sit and hear stories from women from each company about their work and love of aviation. It was inspiring to think that one day I will be in their shoes.

On the last day, AWAM had a breakfast for all scholarship winners. I accepted my plaque, enjoyed some good food, and attended more seminars. I even got an interview! The conference showed me that my place is in the aviation industry and that it is important for women to be involved in aviation maintenance and electronics.

This experience reminded me to never give up on something just because someone tells you it is not possible or because you do not believe it yourself. Try it once so there are no regrets. After all the hard work, sit back and enjoy the ride. (

Doug Mullens graduated on June 26, 2010 from the AMT program.

2. What were your favorite subjects?

All the engine courses and sheet metal.

3. Are you happy with what you learned here?

I am very happy with the knowledge that I gained at PIA. I knew absolutely nothing about aviation before I enrolled and left very confident about the skills I attained while attending.

4. Where are you now and what are you doing?

I now work at General Atomics Aeronautical Systems in Palmdale, CA. I am a mechanic on Predator unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). I will be deploying to many different sites around the worId, and couldn’t have asked for a better job, especially for being hired as an entry level mechanic.

5. What advice would you give to a first quarter student?

Hold a part-time job while attending PIA. Find somewhere that you work with your hands and where you can move up. I worked at an oil change shop and became shift manager and all of the companies that I interviewed with liked to hear that.

They want you to have some credibility as a worker. Also, don’t be an idiot. If you carry around an attitude and get in to trouble, companies will see that and will not want any part of it. It will be easier for you to prove yourself as a person if you have references from your boss and your instructors, rather than your buddies’ parents! ( “The most beautiful dream that has haunted the heart of man since Icarus is today reality.”- Louis Bleriot

Winter 2011 5

Alumni Spotlight: Rollie Puterbaugh K. Bennett

Growing up just beyond the runway of the military base at Wright Field, Rollie Puterbaugh (AMT ’73), says his love of aviation began early in his childhood. “However, my interest was deepened, and would eventually lead to PIA in 1971, when American Airlines Flight 383 crashed approaching runway 18 at the Greater Cincinnati Airport on the evening of November 8, 1965,” he explains. This tragic event was the first of two that would point Puterbaugh in the direction of a career in aviation. It was after the second event on November 20, 1967, when TWA Flight 128 crashed into an apple orchard not far from the site of the first accident, that he became interested in Aviation Safety.

Today, Mr. Puterbaugh serves as the President of Flight 383 & 128 Memorial Group, Inc. While on a hike with his son-in-law in 2005, Puterbaugh took some photos and posted them online. “This site in the years that followed received a large volume of traffic and many visitors contacted me by email,” he explains. In January of 2009, he began to publish the information he had gathered on the events.

Rollie Puterbaugh, plus members Mark Free and Linda Holbrook were there the night that TWA Flight 128 crashed into an apple orchard as it approached Runway 18 on November 20, 1967. It would have been difficult at the time to imagine that over forty years later they would be taking on such important leadership roles.

“For the three of us, we were about to fulfill a lifetime quest to bring the lives of those involved in flights 383/128 back before the public for proper recognition,” he says. Together, they formed the Flight 383/128 Memorial Group, Inc. The Group has been meeting, keeping a memorial website, and growing in numbers since March 2009. Recently, applications for two permanent memorials have been approved by the Kentucky Historical Marker Program.

“One of the biggest challenges but most rewarding aspects of this project,” Mr. Puterbaugh explained, “has been the opportunity to meet victim’s families, survivors, and first responders 40 years after the events. We have reunited victim’s families, survivors, and those who responded to the accidents.

PIA will be holding its 2011 Technician Job Fair on Tuesday, March 8, 2011. Alumni are encouraged to attend and learn more about opportunities in both aviation and non-aviation fields.

For more information or to register for this free event, contact Greg Null at 412.346.2101 or gnull@pia.edu.

6 Technician

“We are still very much interested in hearing from anyone that may have been touched by the events of November 8, 1965 and November 20, 1967. Also, we appreciate all contributions, regardless of size. We have, to date, covered all administrative costs by private funds and have allocated 100% of our donations to our endeavor to erect the memorials. Contact me at: rollie13@msn.com.”

More information on the events as well as the Flight 383/128 Memorial Group, Inc. can be found at the following web sites: http://flightmemorial.vpweb.com/ (

Charles E. Stewart

Charles E. Stewart’s photographs are featured in the 2011 PIA calendar. This year’s aerial firefighting theme is a tribute to all those involved in helping to save life and property around the world by taking these sophisticated aircraft and flying them low over targets.

Stewart has been taking photos of aircraft since 1946 when he first used a box camera at the air races in Cleveland. Since then, his equipment and skill have dramatically improved. After stints in the military, Stewart moved to Apple Valley, CA, where wildfires are a yearly occurance. The aerial ballet performed by aerial tankers was just as dangerous as the feats conquered during the air races.

Stewart sought out and received fire safety training and press credentials where he was able to get in to the fire zone safely to take these photos. We thank both Mr. Stewart and the air and the fire crews for their diligence and hard work. (

PIA’s Building History

G. Null

The Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics’ footprint on the Allegheny County Airport grounds is hard to miss. PIA’s hangars are the only structures storing aircraft in the back corner of the field.

One of the first statements uttered by alumni when they come back to visit is how much has changed about this school.

The instructors may (or may not) be different, the equipment may (or may not) have changed as well. Depending on the alum’s graduation date, he or she will often point out how the buildings are different. Although these are just structures of brick and concrete, we spend hours within them and become quite attached to them. This article will document the expansions and contractions of our buildings that often mirror the aviation industry itself. Do you remember our campus with or without these structures?

1. Original building: In 1946, PIA moved from its downtown location to the Allegheny County Airport and settled into this structure, which was nothing more than a row of T-hangars with attached classrooms. Today, this structure houses the welding shop, classrooms and offices for the powerplant, publishing, and PIA Jumpstart departments.

2. The Sky Air Freight building was bought by PIA in 1955. It is now used as storage for the facilities department.

3. In 1958, 6000 sq. ft. was added to the T-hangar areas. This is now the power-

plant and composite lay-up areas of the school.

4. What is now the Clifford Ball Learning Resource Center was originally built in 1965 as electronics department classrooms. Today it houses PIA’s library and computer lab.

5. This part of the building was added onto in 1965. This was the beginning of the eventual enclosure of the entire corner lot. Originally this was set up as the Live Shop area. Today it is used by the Airframe Department and contains workspace, offices, and the paint booth.

6. In 1968, classroom, shop, and office space were built along Lebanon Church Road. This was known as Graham Hall.

The original building was one story tall until 1984, when a second story was built on top that now contains the Electronics Department.

7. What is now the main hangar was enclosed in 1980. Before this time, the entire space was open to the sun and snow.

This work was appreciated by student and equipment alike.

8. The cafeteria was enclosed in 1985 to provide a place for students to eat lunch.

onto the top floor in 1985. The porch below was enclosed in 1988 when the Admissions Department, extended lobby area, and a conference room were added.

This addition was the last heavy modification made to the main building.

10. Hangar 3 was acquired from the National Steel Corporation in 1991. For years, it was used for storage, classrooms, shops, and graduation. Since 2007, Allegheny County occupies it for storage and maintenance of its heavy equipment.

11. Mellon Bank moved its flight department to PIT, allowing for PIA to move in to Hangar 4 in 2007. The main hangar is used for graduations, job fairs, and live aircraft, while the attached garages are used for storage.

12. The Graham Building was built and opened in 1989. Its three stories were used as classrooms and lab space. PIA sold the building to the Borough of West Mifflin, who uses it to hold administrative offices since the mid nineties.

13. The Livi Building began as an Exxon gas Station. It was commissioned in 1988 and soon housed the powerplant department. It is now a combination car dealership/indoor gun range. (

9. Executive Office Suites were added

Winter 2011 7

Alum Writes Book T. Kruszka

Looking at the picture on the cover of It’s Not About the War, I saw a man as young as many of my students, and younger than myself. When the author, Richard Ingelido, visited PIA, I met a pleasant, gentlemanly man who turned 70 this year.

I was unable to attend the speeches that he gave, so when I began reading his memoir, I was stunned at the ferocity of his experiences. Mr. Ingelido graduated from PIA in 1963, and apparently hasn’t slowed down since. A former Marine, honorably discharged in 1957, Ingelido went to Vietnam, not as a soldier, but as a civilian engineer providing technical support for the T76 engines and the aircraft they were used on, the Rockwell OV-10 Bronco. Ingelido left behind his wife and three children for the mission, and in the book Ingelido recollects trying to imagine the impact of his absence. After his sixmonth mission goes longer than a year, he made it home, but found home a different place than before his departure.

Ingelido gives us a brief and startlingly honest personal history, and then jumps straight into his experiences. Because he lived on a Marine base, in many ways Ingelido experienced the war from the

perspective of a combat veteran, but in many other ways, he was a free man, able to explore Vietnam without many of the restrictions placed upon soldiers. He tells of near-misses from sniper fire, sleeping through mortar attacks, and going into Da Nang by himself, against the advice of war-hardened combat vets. Possibly the most touching story involves Ingelido and a few friends providing shoes to a local Vietnamese Catholic orphanage, seeing “hopelessness everywhere.” Accompanying this story is a photograph of a one-legged Vietnamese orphan on crutches. Ingelido had his camera for almost every second of his time in Vietnam, and has finally found the perfect place for his candid collection of images. While the words tell the story, his photographs complete the book and make it a total experience.

For aircraft enthusiasts, It’s Not About the War contains plenty of interesting stories.

A lover of the OV-10, he wrote a chapter in the index about the specifics of the craft. In another chapter, he tells of riding in the back of a seatless C-130, suffering a decompression, and nearly crashing en route to the Philippines.

The Youngstown Fall 2010 graduating class celebrates the end of a busy 16-month PIA program. With their coursework behind them, they first must pass their FAA Airframe written test before they enter into the workforce as aircraft technicians.

8 Technician

Richard Ingelido, author of It’s Not About the War, was on campus to talk about his book and Vietnam experiences with our students.

His book chronicles the graphic nature of war and the technical know-how needed to keep military aircraft flying.

For those of you wondering about the title, It’s Not About the War has its name because it is about the author and his experiences. You get to see everything through his eyes. For a man with as many stories to tell as Dick Ingelido, it’s worth the trip.

It’s Not About the War is available through Amazon.com. After traveling the world, Mr. Ingelido has found his home in Brisbane, Australia. (

Youngstown Campus Director Randy Reynolds addresses students at a recent graduation. The YNG program has picked up steam in recent years. It is currently graduating two classes per year.

Employee Anniversaries!

Dr. James Mader (30 years) PIA’s Director, is celebrating his 30 year anniversary with the school. Dr. Mader attended PIA as a student, graduating in 1976. He returned as an instructor in 1980, teaching first quarter English and Physics. He also taught multiple powerplant courses throughout the years. He obtained his doctorate in Education from Kennedy Western University in 2000. Three of his sons are PIA alumni.

Tom O’Keefe (25 years) A 7th Quarter Airframe Instructor, O’Keefe taught the high school introductory program from 2003 to early 2009. He hopes to stay around PIA for many more years. O’Keefe is married with two children. His son, Tom, is a PIA alumnus.

Tom O’Keefe

Creighton Bryan (10 years) A 5th Quarter Airframe Instructor, Bryan graduated from PIA in 1991. Prior to teaching at PIA, Bryan worked in general aviation and with US Airways in Pittsburgh. He enjoys making model aircraft and gardening. He lives with his wife, Kim. Bonnie Wissner (5 years) Ms. Wissner is the Assistant Financial Aid Officer and Veterans’ Affairs Certifying Official. Bonnie obtained her bachelors degree in business from Strayer, and is currently pursuing her masters in finance. She spends most of her time doing homework, but likes to spend spare time with her puggle dog, Jackson.

Bonnie Wissner

Creighton Bryan

Steven Sabold (5 years) PIA’s Supervisor of Admissions, graduated from Northwood University in 1999, with a degree in hotel and restaurant management. Previously, Sabold worked as a general manager with Eat ‘n’ Park Hospitality. Sabold moved to Pittsburgh from Harrisburg in 2003, and never misses a Steelers game.

He lives with his wife, Carolyn, and his daughter, Chloe, with whom he hopes to go snow tubing this winter.

Rich Hart (5 years) The Tech Instructor at Dunbar Jumpstart, Mr. Hart has been at the Charleston location since 2005. Before working as an instructor, Rich worked as an in-house network technician, fixing business computers and printers. He loves soccer and catches it on television whenever possible, and assists with his son’s Boy Scout troop. He lives with his wife, Tyshaun, and his daughter and son, Alexandra and James.

Rich Hart

Dr. James Mader

Steven Sabold

Dave Armstrong (5 years) is PIA’s Heavy Equipment Instructor, along with our Commercial Drivers License (CDL) inspector and instructor. Dave learned how to operate heavy equipment in the army, where he served for five years, earning the rank of corporal. After that, he worked operating heavy equipment for 28 years. He enjoys fishing and golf, and coached PIA’s golf team in the past. He lives with his wife, Kelly, and four kids Zach, Zoe, DJ, and Jacob.

Dave Armstrong

Winter 2011 9

21st Century Heavy Equipment Training T. Kruszka

PIA recently obtained a new excavator simulator for the Jump Start program.

The new technology is designed to closely mimic the working conditions of a real excavator. According to company literature, the simulators are designed to “combine the finest in technology and operator instruction to create cutting edge training for heavy equipment operators.”

The unit, which features the exact same seat and controls as the real Caterpillar heavy equipment, has a 40’ screen which displays the boom and bucket as they respond to the user’s controls. The movements are extremely sensitive and realistic, and are as close to the real thing as possible.

Jumpstart Instructor Dave Armstrong supervises a student working through an excavator module. This system saves on the wear and tear of both equipment and people, particularly in the winter months.

The simulator has many advantages, but the biggest may be its convenience. The simulator works any time of the day, never breaks down, doesn’t need fuel, and functions in any weather. Besides convenience, it gives students the opportunity to try the same excavation repeatedly, without a risk of damaging the equipment or getting the job wrong.

There are more than ten training modules for the simulator user, including “over the moon,” which requires positioning the bucket and moving it in a steady arc, and “truck loading,” which involves properly scooping dirt into the bucket and unloading it into an articulated truck. Though it looks simple when demonstrated, the training modules are very difficult and require a delicate touch. It seems that PIA’s Jump Start program has taken another positive step forward.(

PIA students graciously give a little time and blood for the Central Blood Bank. PIA has been a donation site for many years.

PIA by the Numbers for 2010 • $13,890.41 Amount of scholarship

In November, PIA’s staff held a chili cook-off to raise money and to find out whose chili reigned supreme. Students lined up and tasted 12 pots of chili and voted on the best, naming the Financial Aid Department’s Pegi Neely the winner.

short-term training

long-term success

“The airplane has unveiled for us the true face of the earth.”

— Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

money matched by PIA • 512 Resumes sent on behalf of students and alumni in 2010 • 298 Number of transcripts sent to alumni • 94 Percentage of FAA written exams passed on first attempt • 75 Number of graduates from PIT

• 21 Number of graduates from YNG

• 11 Imagine America Foundation awards

10 Technician

PIA President John Graham III (right) accepts David Hardin’s donation of a King Air 90 to PIA. This aircraft, originally based in Washington, PA, will now join PIA’s fleet of educational tools. We are delighted to finally have a turboprop at the school and would like to send our heartfelt thanks to Mr. Hardin for his generosity.

This orange and white Cessna 172 was bought last year. After a bit of work, this work house will fly down to Hagerstown to join the equipment needed to start up our HGR campus.

Scholarships Military Award Program Aaron Swartz • Ed Costantino Jackie Yates •James White Lucas Curtaccio •Mahlon Robertson Mike Seramur • Mike Zack Russell Dietz Imagine America High School Brandon Sernik •Jacob Williams Mike Bongiorni Adult Skills Education Program Melissa Bayura

KM-24 marker beacon audio amps and KN-53 navigation receivers were donated to PIA’s Electronics Dept. This significant donation has updated PIA’s live shop area and will allow students the chance to work on more products while in PIA avionics program.

Northrop Rice Foundation Scholarship Curtis Campbell • Dennis Drum Michael Tsegai PIA Memorial Scholarship Stephen Yarima • Christopher Johnson Jared Brooks • Joshua Deems EAA Sportsair Scholarship Chris Hofmann US Bowling Congress Andrew Whaley St Francis DeSales Discernment Award Connor Mottice

William and Debra Bahorik Scholarship Brandon Arnold Denny Shute Scholarship Connor Mottice OAPSE Scholarship Connor Mottice Coshocton County Board of Realtors Award Garth Ott Dennis Harp Athletic Scholarship Colten Bailey Continental Airlines Award Garrett Morrison CCTC Senior of the Year Tom Hillwig AFSCME Local 2459 Award Lydia Daniels Community Scholarship Foundation of Canon-McMillan Miles Messmer Gratz Fair Scholarship Austin Adams

Slick magnetos were donated to PIA by Champion Aerospace.

Winter 2011 11

ACROSS 2. The main structural member that runs spanwise inside the wing or part of a ship’s mast 3 Lateral motion around the longitudinal axis 7 Heavy material carried to increase stability 8 Longitudinal motion around the lateral axis 11 To enter the ship 15 Used to steer a boat, but only used to steer an aircraft on the ground 16 Term used to describe pitch instability 17 Behind on a ship 19 A device used to increase or decrease the amount of tension on a cable when adjusting the rigging of a system 22 A directional gyro’s inability to hold a heading or wood you find on the beach 23 The direction the nose of an aircraft or ship is pointing (hint: not necessarily the direction of travel) 24 Pulleys, cables, bell cranks, turnbuck-

les are all considered parts of this 26 A light air-filled structure that protrudes from the hull of a seaplane to steady it on the water and provide some aerodynamic lift in flight 27 The fixed mark on a compass or Directional Gyro used as a reference to read headings 28 Forward on a ship DOWN 1 Left-hand side of a ship. Also a type of wine 2 Term used when referring to a boat or airplane 4 Motion around the vertical axis 5 Top Dog or Head Honcho of the vessel 6 Put away in its place or hidden 9 Right-hand side of ship 10 Type of grooved pulley used on the actuator of a cable-type flight control system 12 A wall or transverse partition in the fuselage that adds strength

Will You Be At Airventure 2011?

For the last four years, PIA has gathered its students and staff for a photo under the arch. This year, we want all alumni in attendance to join us! If you will be at the EAA Airventure in Oshkosh, WI next year in July and would like to join us, contact Butch Adams at 1-800-444-1440 or badams@pia.edu. Have your shirt size ready and we will see you under the arch in 2011! (

Technician

Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics P.O. Box 10897 Pittsburgh PA 15236

NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE PAID PITTSBURGH PA PERMIT NO. 2920

412-346-2100 • Fax 412-466-0513 • 1-800-444-1440 • www.pia.edu

RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

Created by D. Koehler

13 When navigating, this term represents your actual path on the map 14 Second in command, but called this (two words) 18 An increment of speed. Also the result of tying a rope 20 The main longitudinal structural member extending along the center line on the bottom of a seaplane hull or float 21 A float on a seaplane or boat 25 You plot this when navigating and if all goes well, it becomes your plan