GNTC receives donation of aircraft to Aviation Maintenance Technology program

Georgia Northwestern Technical College’s (GNTC) Aviation Maintenance Technology program expanded its fleet of aircraft that provide hands-on training to students with the recent donation of a Cessna 401A aircraft.

Donated by a private individual from Dalton, this is the fourth 400 series Cessna airplane GNTC owns and will be used for all aspects of training for the Aviation Maintenance Technology program, said Zac Fager, program director and Instructor of Aviation Maintenance Technology at GNTC.

“GNTC could not train tomorrow’s workforce without the support of our community partners,” said Dr. Heidi Popham, GNTC president. “We are grateful for this generous gift. This donation will support students who are being trained to be the professionals needed by the aviation industry.”

Fager said the plane had been housed at the Dalton Municipal Airport hangar and was recently moved to GNTC’s Aviation Training Center, where it was reassembled.

“I used to work at the Dalton Municipal Airport several years ago, and I told the airport manager that I was looking for aircraft donations for the Aviation Maintenance Technology program,” Fager said. “An individual contacted me a couple weeks later about his aircraft.”

Fager said the donation comes at a critical time as the program needs additional aircraft.

“In the Aviation Maintenance Technology program, we are constantly taking things apart, inspecting, repairing when we can or replacing parts completely,” Fager said. “Additional aircraft help us provide the highest quality of instruction and ensure our graduates have the Airframe and Powerplant experience they need to be workforce ready. It is truly a blessing to have a fresh, new-to-the-program aircraft to train with.” Georgia Northwestern Technical College provides quality workforce education to the citizens of northwest Georgia. Students have the opportunity to earn an associate degree, diploma or a certificate in aviation, business, health, industrial or public service career paths. This past year, 13,775 people benefited from GNTC’s credit and noncredit programs. GNTC has an annual credit enrollment of 8,836 students and an additional enrollment of 4,939 people through adult education, continuing education, business and industry training and Georgia Quick Start.