LSC aviation programs moving to airport

Lake Superior College’s aviation programs soon will be housed within the Duluth International Airport.
The college announced in July it was pursuing an agreement with the Duluth Airport Authority, when its new aviation maintenance technician program was approved by the Federal Aviation Administration. That became official recently when a 10-year lease for a hangar rental was signed. The city will lend the airport authority $2.2 million to remodel the hangar, and it will be paid back through the college’s rent payments.
LSC President Patrick Johns said he was happy to have all of the college’s aviation programs “under one roof.”
“It makes sense for our aviation students to learn on-site at facilities adjacent to our industry workforce partners, Cirrus Aircraft and AAR,” he said.
The 40,000-square-foot hangar will be remodeled to fit the needs of the Center for Advanced Aviation, which includes professional pilot and aviation management and maintenance technician programs. The new program for airframe and power plant maintenance technicians has the maximum amount of 25 students this semester; a number reached in less than two weeks, said Janet Blixt, a spokeswoman for the college.
 An evening cohort will be added second semester to accommodate students who work during the day. Blixt expects that 25 students will fill those slots, as well.
The new home will allow the college’s aviation programs to grow, said Tom Werner, executive director of the airport authority.
That, he said, will contribute to the region’s economic growth.
The remodeling of Hangar 103 is expected to be complete by July 1.
The agreement is good for both the college and the airport, said airport authority spokeswoman Natalie Peterson.
“It gives (LSC) the opportunity to bring people in for the A and P program and to support jobs in the region that are desperately needed,” she said, such as at Cirrus and AAR Aircraft Services. “When those are supported and flourishing, the other aviation partners that support those companies are also flourishing.”
The 103-credit maintenance technician program was added in response to a regional aircraft industry need and a lack of available local training options.