Marshall to receive $1 million, use for flight school and aviation maintenance technology program

HUNTINGTON — Marshall University will receive $1 million from the Small Business Administration (SBA) to continue supporting aviation workforce development at its flight school, U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va, announced on Monday.

The funding was made available through a Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS) request made by Capito, who is a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

“The Bill Noe Flight School through the Marshall University Division of Aviation creates incredible opportunity for students across West Virginia, and has the potential to be a major economic development driver for our communities,” Capito said in a press release. “I’ve witnessed this myself through visits to the facility. I’m thrilled to deliver this support to all of the excellent administrators, staff, and future pilots coming out of Huntington, and I look forward to seeing more Marshall Alumni in the captain’s chair.”

Marshall’s Division of Aviation consists of the Bill Noe Flight School, which is located at West Virginia International Yeager Airport in Charleston, and the Aviation Maintenance Technology program, which is located at Huntington Tri-State Airport in Huntington and is a partnership with Mountwest Community and Technical College.

According to Bill Noe, Marshall’s chief aviation officer and the individual for whom the flight school is named, the funding Marshall will be receiving will be used for both the Bill Noe Flight School and the Aviation Maintenance Technology program and, more specifically, will be applied to the purchase of new fixed wing and rotor wing aircraft for the flight school and continued renovations to the aviation maintenance facility.

“We are delighted that the important work going on at the Marshall University Division of Aviation addresses a critical industry need, offering access to world-class facilities and expert instruction — and could not be more appreciative of Senator Capito and all our congressional delegation for their leadership and support,” Marshall President Brad D. Smith said in the press release. “This additional funding will help continue aviation workforce development to help fill the national void for pilots and mechanics. The continued support from our congressional delegation in Washington also allows Marshall’s program to serve as an economic engine to retain and attract new companies to West Virginia.”

In 2021, Noe said he believed Marshall’s decision to offer an extensive aviation program was well timed.

“There is a pilot shortage around the world. The statistics show that the aviation industry will be hard pressed to be able to catch up with the demand over the next 20 to 30 years,” Noe told The Herald-Dispatch in 2021. “The opportunities for careers in the military or with corporate, commercial or regional airlines are all wide open. They are starving for pilots in every area. The aviation industry has an incredible shortage of maintenance technicians as well. Offering these programs will be a huge benefit to the university. They will be very popular among students and will meet a great need in the industry.”

Boeing’s Technician Outlook projects 763,000 new civil aviation pilots, 739,000 new maintenance technicians and 903,000 new cabin crew members will be needed from 2020-39 to keep up with demand and fill an understaffed field. With more pilots comes more planes in the sky and a growing need for maintenance.

“Despite a large number of aircraft in storage, technicians continue to play a vital role in ensuring the aircraft remain airworthy. Improper or incomplete maintenance could lead to corrosion, damaged wires and other issues that lead to more extensive and expensive repairs. The need for continued maintenance of the parked fleet has mitigated the impact on technician employment worldwide,” the report said.

An Aviation Technician Education Council (ATEC) report said the average age of mechanics in the field is 30 to 50 years old, and over 20% of the technicians are over 64 years old. But the 2019-20 ATEC Pipeline Report says just 2% of the workforce are new mechanics. With more than a third of workers in the industry expected to be eligible for retirement soon, the field will be looking to fill the void.