Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics hoping to fix shortage of aviation mechanics

PITTSBURGH — From flying somewhere on a trip to getting an item you ordered online, the aviation industry is involved in our everyday life in one way or another.

But that involvement could soon mean delays in air travel or shipments as an industry report reveals a large shortage of aviation mechanics.

One local program is attracting students from across the country in hopes to fill the void that will impact us all soon.

“I’ve always been a Tinker and messing with things,” said Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics student Austin Smith.

From working on engines to working the electrical systems, Austin Smith enjoys making planes fly. He’s part of the current class of these soon-to-be airplane mechanics at Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics (PIA).

PIA Communications Manager Karin McKenna says the job market is positive for aviation technicians, “Right now, by 2039, we’re expecting a shortage of about 192,000 mechanics in the industry for North America itself. So worldwide, it’s a little bit closer to 700,000 mechanics that are needed.”

Their 21-month program prepares students to graduate with an associate degree and an FAA certification in Aviation Maintenance or Aviation Electronics. While the pandemic impacted air travel and some people might question getting into a field that had to lay off thousands of people; companies say that’s not the case for technicians.

“We actually never stopped hiring during the pandemic,” said Ross Mitchell, vice president of Corporate Shared Services at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. “In that period, we still had to maintain the airplanes, even if the airplanes aren’t flying, they still must be maintained.”

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Mitchell said his company, which flies smaller planes from bigger cities to small cities, plans to visit the Pittsburgh campus in the coming months to recruit students.  But there is much more to the industry than just commercial flights, said Dustin Colella, a former PIA student who now works to help save lives every day.

“We work on air medical helicopters from all over the country, so LifeFlight, helicopters, things like that,” said Air Methods employee Dustin Colella.

Beyond medical, there’s also the Cargo field that students can find themselves working in. This sector became even more important during the pandemic as many of us shopped online. With so much demand, it’s making companies sell themselves to the students and not the other way around.

Smith says it something he’s never seen before, “There are people that are coming to this school, from these companies telling us all about it, like, ‘Hey, we want you these are our benefits. That’s why you should work for us.’ So yeah, I’ve never had to like sit around and have companies come and look for me.”

As students like Austin prepare to graduate in the next two months, he is keeping his options open as he figures out which direction he will go in with the aviation industry.  Students and even recent graduates know this field is only going to rapidly change as it soars to new heights.

“It’s only going to continue to grow and expand,” said Dustin Colella. “There’s vertical takeoff, capabilities that are coming in the future.”

If you are interested in learning about PIA and its program, you can find more HERE.

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