Pima Community College on Thursday christened a $21 million expansion of its Aviation Technology Center at Tucson International Airport that will double its student capacity, helping to relieve a severe shortage of aviation mechanics.
The expansion more than doubles the aviation center’s footprint on South Park Avenue, to 87,000 from 35,000 square feet, adding additional classrooms, labs and a second hangar large enough to accommodate large jetliners.
The expansion will allow the highly-rated aviation tech school school to double the number of enrolled students to 250 and graduate 75 or more students per year, Pima Dean of Applied Technology Greg Wilson said.
Pima Aviation Technology Center Director Jason Bowersock said the expansion is just the latest milestone in a journey that started when the school launched its federally-certified aircraft airframe and powerplant program in 1990.
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The school opened its first hangar in 2001 and added an avionics tech program in 2008 and expanded its facility, then in 2016 added a program to streamline the transition of military aircraft maintainers to civilian jobs.
The Pima program is one of only a handful of Federal Aviation Administration-approved schools in the U.S. with curriculum and facilities to accommodate large commercial jets. The Pima Center now has 20 aircraft including a Boeing 727 and a Bombardier CRJ-200 narrow-body regional jet recently donated by SkyWest Airlines, which has announced plans to build a new maintenance hangar at TIA.
Pima plans to add a certified program in non-destructive testing next fall, thanks to a $490,000 FAA grant the school won in January, and is adding a program in unmanned aircraft funded partly with a $2.5 million grant from the Thomas R. Brown Family Foundation in 2020.
“There’s never been a better time to be in this industry, to try and go out there a find a meaningful career,” said Bowersock, a former Air Force flight chief who joined the Pima program as an instructor in 2015 and was named director in 2016.
Pima officials described how winning the state funding that made the expansion possible was a team effort including local aviation industry leaders Dave Querio, president of the Tucson-based commercial aviation maintenance firm Ascent Aviation, and Mark Gaspers, longtime government operations manager for Boeing Co.
Querio, who sits on Pima’s aviation advisory board, said the COVID-19 pandemic only worsened a growing shortage of aviation techs, noting that some 23,000 or 8% of the workforce left the industry since the pandemic emerged.
Maya Vazquez, airframe and power plant student, explains the cockpit of a Boeing 727 aircraft to her mother Silvia Vazquez, left, and father Luis Vazquez during Pima Community College Aviation Technology Center building expansion ceremony on Friday.
Querio said his own company, which besides TIA has maintenance stations at Pinal Air Park and Roswell, New Mexico, has about 550 employees but has 130 open positions.
“It’s a great field — it’s not glitz and glamour but it will take you around the world,” Querio said.
Pima airfame and powerplant tech student Suzanne Roy described how she enrolled in the aircraft maintenance program after COVID-19 halted her study of classical music and voice.
She said that while many aircraft techs have military experience, which she didn’t have, the school provided all the training she needed and is looking to graduate and find a well-paying job in six months.
“Pima Community College bridges the gap between those with experience and those without, leading them to fulfilling and lucrative careers in aviation maintenance,” Roy said, noting that Boeing has estimated that more than 600,000 new mechanics will be needed industrywide by 2041.
The median annual wage for aircraft mechanics and service technicians was $65,380 in May 2021, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
PCC Chancellor Lee Lambert thanked industry leaders who helped lobby legislators and Gov. Doug Ducey to include the $15 million appropriation in the state budget.
Sens. David Gowan, a Sierra Vista Republican and chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and co-chair Sen. Vince Leach of SaddleBrooke, were singled out for shepherding the appropriation through the budget process with the Ducey’s support.
Photos: Aircraft over Tucson through the years
Aircraft over Tucson
Charles K. Hamilton, in his Curtis "Pusher" biplane, performed the first airplane flight along the banks of the Santa Cruz River in Tucson on February 19, 1910.
Aircraft over Tucson
The Spirit of St. Louis, the plane flown by Charles A, Lindbergh, taxiing at Davis-Monthan field in 1927.
Aircraft over Tucson
Curtiss biplanes from the U.S. Army Air Corps at Tucson Municipal Airport (now Davis-Monthan AFB) in 1933.
Aircraft over Tucson
Boeing B-29 bombers of the 19th Bomb Wing arrive at Davis-Monthan AFB, Tucson, during a ceremony marking their retirement from service in 1954.
Aircraft over Tucson
Crews prepare for flight training on Consolidated B-24 Liberator bombers at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Tucson, ca. 1940s. D-M was was the training base for nearly 20 bombardment groups during World War II.
Aircraft over Tucson
Douglas B-18 bombers and crews arrive at Davis-Monthan AFB on Jan. 15, 1941 for flight training. The Douglas Aircraft Co. developed the B-18 to replace the Martin B-10 as the U.S. Army Air Corps' standard bomber. The Bolo remained the Air Corps' primary bomber into 1941, and the Japanese destroyed some B-18s during the surprise attacks on Dec. 7. By early 1942, improved bombers like the B-17 replaced the Bolo as first-line bombardment aircraft.
Aircraft over Tucson
John Thurmon at the controls of a 1929 high-wing Curtiss Robin monoplane at his private air strip on Ajo Highway west of Tucson in 1966. A similar plane broke the world's endurance record in 1929, remaining aloft for more than 420 hours. It was also the first plane to be refueled in flight.
Aircraft over Tucson
With John Thurmon at the controls. The Spirit of Burwell, a replica of the historic 1911 Curtiss pusher biplane Vin Fizz, the first aircraft to fly coast-to-coast in the U.S., takes off from Thurmon's private airfield on Ajo Highway west of Tucson in 1964.
Aircraft over Tucson
An LTV A-7D Corsair from Davis-Monthan AFB in flight. The 355th Tactical Fighter Wing at D-M was equipped with four squadrons of A-7D's in 1972 and 1973. It was less-well known than its Naval counterpart, but just as effective. The aircraft was second only to Boeing B-52 Stratofortress in the amount of ordnance dropped on Hanoi during the Vietnam War. It dropped more bombs per sortie with greater accuracy than any other U.S. attack aircraft, according to the National Museum of the Air Force.
Aircraft over Tucson
This Avro Canada C102 Jetliner at Tucson Municipal Airport was the first commercial jetliner to land at an Arizona airport. It was flown by multi-millionaire Howard Hughes from Van Nuys, California, on July 10, 1952. It was brought to Tucson for flight testing. "We cruised at 25,000 feet and had it smooth and comfortable all the way," Hughes told the Tucson Citizen. The British de Havilland Comet beat the Avro C102 by only 13 days to become the world's first commercial jetliner.
Aircraft over Tucson
Roy McCauldin and Bud Wolfe in a replica of a DeHavilland DH-4, made famous roaming over the French battlefields in World War !. It was nicknamed the "flying coffin" since the gas tank rested between the pilot and co-pilot. The two stopped at Ryan Field, west of Tucson in 1992, on their way to a fly-in convention in Alabama.
Aircraft over Tucson
Cargo is loaded into a Fairchild C-119 Boxcar at Davis-Monthan AFB in 1965. The aircraft was famous for dropping bridge sections to aid withdrawl of UN forces from invading Chinese troops in North Korea in 1950.
Aircraft over Tucson
Pictured are the maintenance crew of the City of Tucson, first armed B-50 to land at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base and dedicated Sept. 19, 1948 in Air Force day ceremonies. Photo taken when plane become the first B-50 to exceed the 500-hour mark in flying time in spring 1949. Left to right are Tech. Sgt. John Weisenberger, crew chief; Staff Sgt. James Rahbe, assistant crew chief; Sgt. David A. Newberry, mechanic; Sgt. William D. D'Ottavio, mechanic; Sgt. Roger Luikens, mechanic.
Aircraft over Tucson
Davis-Monthan AFB on Jan. 17, 1953, the day a new 11,500-feet runway was dedicated to handle the jet age. Propeller-driven Boeing B-50 bombers site on the flightline. The base received new SAC B-47 bombers for the 303rd Bombardment Group that March.
Aircraft over Tucson
"Bockscar," the Boeing B-29 bomber that dropped the atomic bomb on Nagasaki, Japan, in 1945, shown in storage at Davis-Monthan AFB, Tucson, in 1955. It was transferred to the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in 1961.
Aircraft over Tucson
A section for a nuclear-tipped Titan Missile arrives at Davis-Monthan AFB in Nov. 1962 via a Douglas C-133 Cargomaster.
Aircraft over Tucson
A Lockheed U2 high altitude surveillance plane stationed at Davis-Monthan AFB in flight over Tucson area in July, 1966. The last U-2 high altitude reconnaissance aircraft left Davis-Monthan AFB in 1976, enroute to Beale Air Force Base in California when the 100th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing joined the high-altitude SR-71 at the same base. U-2's first arrived at D-M in 1963, along with 1,500 airmen, in a transfer from Laughlin AFB, Texas.
Aircraft over Tucson
Some of the estimated 122,000 visitors watch aircraft land at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base watch a Royal Air Force Vulcan bomber during the annual Aerospace and Arizona Days at the base on March 15, 1970.
Aircraft over Tucson
The Convair B-58 Hustler at Davis-Monthan AFB in 1958. The nuclear-capable supersonic strategic bomber made famous in the 1964 movie, "Fail Safe." The Air Force tested the planes until 1959. The first planes were officially delivered in 1964. The huge pod underneath carried one nuclear weapon and/or extra fuel. The planes were not stationed at D-M.
Aircraft over Tucson
A SAC B-47 bomber from Davis-Monthan AFB slides underneath a KC-97 tanker 15,000 feet above Southern Arizona in 1955. The jets slow to 210-250 mph to fly with the slower prop-driven tanker. The tanker transfers thousands of pounds of aviation fuel in a few minutes.
Aircraft over Tucson
A McDonnell-Douglas F-4C Phantom attack aircraft on the flight line at Davis-Monthan AFB Tucson in December, 1963. The plane was flown from Tampa for a look-see while the Air Force was considering transfer of the 4453rd Combat Crew Training to D-M. They did just that, in 1964. The F-4 was the heavy-hitter in the air war over Vietnam. The Navy version entered service in 1960. Beginning in 1959, it set 15 world records for in-flight performance.
Aircraft over Tucson
A Boeing 707 jet airliner at Tucson International Airport in July, 1959, to undergo testing on its cabin air conditioning in the intense Summer heat before delivery to American Airlines. More than 1,000 707's were produced. It was the commercial jet workhorse of the skies for many years and was adapted for military use as airborne command center and refueling tanker.
Aircraft over Tucson
A Delta Airlines Douglas DC-8 taxis in front of the iconic flight control tower Tucson International Airport in July, 1959. It was the first commercial jet airliner to land at TIA. The jet suffered to flat tires due to the intense heat. It was on "acceptance flight tests" be Delta employees.
Aircraft over Tucson
A Douglas C-124 Globemaster sits outside Grand Central Aircraft at Tucson Municipal Airport in June, 1964. The Globemaster and C-133 Cargomaster were the only heavy-lift aircraft in the U.S. Air Force until the the jet-powered C-5A came into service.
Aircraft over Tucson
A new Douglas DC-7C passenger plane arrives at Douglas Aircraft Co. hanger at Tucson Municipal Airport in 1956. The "Seven Seas" version had a longer fuselage, higher fuel capacity, and more powerful engines for trans-atlantic travel. The DC-7 was Douglas's the last piston-powered passenger plane, supplanted by the jet-powered DC-8.
Aircraft over Tucson
An Umbaugh 18 autogyro ascends at Freeway Airport (Prince and Romero) in Tucson as more than 1,500 Tusconans watched from a safe distance in February, 1961. It was one of the last three gyroplanes certified for airworthiness by the FAA. The company was unable to meet demand and ceased operations in 1962.
Aircraft over Tucson
A Consolidated PBY Catalina retrofitted for airborne mineral surveys sits at Tucson Municipal Airport in 1956. Coils on the plane put out a magnetic field which returns signals from ore bodies.
Aircraft over Tucson
A single-engine Champion Citabria is fueled at the new restaurant and service center at Ryan Field west of Tucson in June, 1969. The airfield hosted a "Discover Flying" day for the public.
Aircraft over Tucson
The first jet made in Tucson, Wee-Jet made by Carma Manufacturing of Tucson taxis after a test flight at Tucson Municipal Airport in 1956. The two-seat jet trainer was built at 3544 E. Ft. Lowell Road. The company said it could cruise at 325 mph for 1,025 miles at 30,000 feet. The company was unable to interest the Navy in the jet it by 1959 it slipped into oblivion. Carma was owned by Charles Gagnier, who died in 1966.
Aircraft over Tucson
A Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird streaks over Davis-Monthan AFB, Tucson, during open house in 1971. The plane was of interest to Tucsonans, since it was seen as a successor to the U-2 spy planes, 23 of which were stationed at D-M.
Aircraft over Tucson
A Consolidated B-24 Liberator bomber converted for aerial firefighting sits at Libby Army Air Field at Ft. Huachuca in Sierra Vista in 1973.
Aircraft over Tucson
An North American Rockwell OV-10 Bronco at Davis-Monthan AFB in 1991. The twin-turboprop light attack and observation aircraft was developed in the 1960s as a special aircraft for counter-insurgency and forward air control. It can loiter airborne for three or more hours. At D-M, they were attached to the 602nd Tactical Air Control Wing. The final two OV-10 wings were retired in 1991. The aircraft was used in forward air control during the rescue of navigator Lt. Col. Iceal "Gene" Hambleton in Vietnam in 1972, made famous in the movie, "Bat 21."
Aircraft over Tucson
A Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber, known for its role in the Pacific Theatre during World War II, taxis to Aero Services at Tucson International Airport in 1979. It was refitted and flown to the Imperial War Museum in England. The U.S. Government donated the plane to the museum. It had sat on the ground at China Lake Naval Air Weapons Station in the California desert for 26 years.
Aircraft over Tucson
Dave Fowler, president of Evergreen Air Center, takes a morning ride around a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress at Pinal Air Park in 1990. The plane was likely the single most important strategic weapon in the European campaigns of World War II. Fowler estimated that Evergreen spent more than $3 million to restore the plane.
Aircraft over Tucson
Eastern Airlines brought its new Airbus A-300, the world's first twin-engine wide-body aircraft, to Tucson in May, 1981. The A-300 was partly a rival to the American three-engine jetliners DC-10 and L-1011. The A-300 was the first aircraft manufactured by the the British/French/German consortium.
Aircraft over Tucson
A Boeing 707 prototype takes off from Davis-Monthan AFB enroute to Boeing Aircraft in Seattle in 1990. It's finai destination was to be the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC. The aircraft was in storage at AMARG ("The Boneyard"), adjacent to D-M.
Aircraft over Tucson
A C46 Curtiss Commando, the last flyable aircraft of its type in the U.S. Air Force inventory, sits at Davis-Monthan AFV in 1972, bound for the Air Force Museum at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. The plane, one of 3,135 built for use in WW II, first flew in 1944. The plane was most-famous for ferrying supplies to the Chinese after Japanese troops closed the Burma Road.
Aircraft over Tucson
Climate Club models rope TWA's Star of the Mediterranean as Tucson Municipal Airport welcomed the first flight by TWA (Trans World Airlines) to Tucson on Dec. 2, 1956. It was a classic Lockheed Constellation, which was the best way to fly in the pre-jet age.
Aircraft over Tucson
A pilot exits an F-84F Thunderstreak of the Arizona Air National Guard during the Ricks Memorial Trophy contest at Tucson International Airport on July 29, 1957. In the 1950s and 1960s the Air National Guard conducted the annual contest, a cross country timed air race designed to showcase the newly formed Air National Guard.
Aircraft over Tucson
A Boeing Vertol H-21 helicopter at Marana Air Base (Pinal Air Park) in Oct. 1959.
Aircraft over Tucson
A U.S. Air Force T-34 trainer taxiing at Marana Air Base (Pinal Air Park) in 1954.
Aircraft over Tucson
An Arizona Air National Guard North American F-100 Super Sabre fighter takes off from Tucson International Airport in June, 1965.
Aircraft over Tucson
A McDonnell Douglas F4C Phantom II fighter plane takes off from Davis-Monthan AFB in 1964. D-M was the home of the 4453rd Combat Crew Training Wing, which provided intensive flight training for Phantom crews, many of which served in Vietnam.
F-106 Delta Darts
Two Convair F-106 Delta Dart interceptors (pilots called them "The Six") take off from Davis-Monthan AFB after being scrambled by the 26th NORAD Regional Control Center at Luke AFB in 1977.
Lockheed C5A, 1970
A Lockheed C5A, then the largest aircraft in the world, at Davis-Monthan AFB in 1970. It was six stories tall and had a cargo capacity of 265,000 pounds and could seat 270 passengers.
DC-10, 1971
An American Airlines ground crew watches a huge McDonnell-Douglas DC-10 Luxury Liner, christened "Flagship Arizona" taxi into position on its inaugural visit to Tucson International Airport in 1971. The prototype DC-10 made its first flight just a year prior. By the late 80s the plane had left passenger service. It's notable uses now are as a US Air Force refueling tanker (KC-10), cargo plane and the 10 Air Tanker for aerial firefighting.
DC-10, 1971
An American Airlines McDonnell-Douglas DC-10 Luxury Liner, christened "Flagship Arizona" makes its inaugural visit to Tucson International Airport in 1971. The 204-seat aircraft featured a cocktail lounge, a revelation for veteran passengers of the old 707's and DC-80's.
747, 1970
A TWA 747 takes off from Tucson International Airport during clear-weather flight training in January, 1970.
Aircraft over Tucson
Red Baron Stearman Squadron biplanes take off at the Avra Valley Airport in in 1990s.
Aircraft over Tucson
U.S. Marines assigned to the Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 165, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, unload off two MV-22B Ospreys on the flightline at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., May 16, 2016. The MV-22, is an assault transport for troops, equipment and supplies, and is capable of operating from ships or from expeditionary airfields ashore.
Aircraft over Tucson
President Barack Obama on Air Force One, a modified Boeing 747, lands at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in 2011.
Aircraft over Tucson
A P-47 Thunderbolt roars over Golf Links headed into Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, one of several vintage and modern warbirds practicing for Heritage Flight Training and Certification Course, Friday, March 4, 2016, Tucson, Ariz.
Aircraft over Tucson
An Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor speeds past a few onlookers and propeller planes during the Heritage Flight Training and Certification Course at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base on Friday, Feb. 27, 2015, in Tucson, Ariz. The annual flights feature modern fighter jets flying in formation alongside aircraft from the World War II, Korea and Vietnam era. Photo by Mike Christy / Arizona Daily Star
Aircraft over Tucson
A North American P-51 Mustang roars over Golf Links, one of several vintage aircraft flying formations with modern supersonic jet fighters on the second day of the Heritage Flight Training and Certification Course in the airspace surrounding Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Friday, March 4, 2016, Tucson, Ariz.
Aircraft over Tucson
An A-10 Thunderbolt II, left, flies in formation with a Lockheed P-38 Lightning during the 20th annual Heritage Flight Training and Certification Course at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base on Feb. 10, 2017, in Tucson, Ariz.
Aircraft over Tucson
An General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon, bottom, flies alongside a North American P-51 Mustang during the 20th annual Heritage Flight Training and Certification Course at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base on Feb. 10, 2017, in Tucson, Ariz.
Aircraft over Tucson
The United State Air Force Thunderbirds (General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcons) shoot through the sky under a waxing crescent moon during the grand finale to the Thunder and Lightning Over Arizona, the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base 2016 Open House Air Show, Saturday, March 12, 2016, Tucson, Ariz.
Aircraft over Tucson
Here, crowds spill out of the front of a Lockheed C-5 Galaxy cargo plane at Davis Monthan Air Force Base during Aerospace & Arizona Days 2005.
Aircraft over Tucson
The NASA Space Shuttle Columbia riding piggy back on a Boeing 747 lands at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base on its way to Florida in 1990.
Aircraft over Tucson
A-10 West Demo Team pilot Captain Joe "Rifle" Shetterly pilots a Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II reaching seven times the force of gravity during his 12 minute performance over Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. The A-10 is the mainstay at D-M, provides close-air support for infantry and is also a feared "tank-killer," with a devastating rotary cannon gun that fires large depleted uranium armor-piercing shells.
Aircraft over Tucson
A welcoming crowd mingles in the shade of a Boeing B-1 Lancer bomber that was delivered to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base on August 20, 2002. This B-1 is the first of 24 Lancers that will be delivered to the Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Center.
Aircraft over Tucson
A HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter from the 55th Rescue Squadron hauls in a downed pilot and a member of the 48th Rescue Squadron during a Combat Search and Rescue exercise at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in 2013. CSAR, stationed at D-M, rescued civilians in Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina.
CSAR, D-M
An HC-130 Combat King trailing refueling booms leads two HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopters during a Combat Search and Rescue demo at Thunder & Lightning Over Arizona air show at Davis-Monthan AFB on Nov. 6, 2021. The 563rd Rescue Group at D-M oversees flying operations for Combat Search and Rescue, which locates and rescues downed pilots.
EC-130H, D-M
A EC-130H from Davis-Monthan AFB makes a pass during Thunder & Lightning Over Arizona air show at Davis-Monthan AFB on Nov. 6, 2021. The EC-130H is an electronic warfare and electronic attack aircraft stationed at D-M as part of the 43d Electronic Combat Squadron.
10 Air Tanker
A huge DC-10 VLAT (Very Large Air Tanker) pulls up after dropping a load of fire retardant in a neighborhood just south of Catalina State Park during the Bighorn Fire burning along Pusch Ridge in Coronado National Forest north of Tucson on June 6, 2020.
Aircraft over Tucson
An Arizona Air National Guard KC-135 refueling tanker (a modified Boeing 707) makes a low pass over the iconic control tower at Tucson International Airport in 2014.
Aircraft over Tucson
An Iraqi F-16 jet, right, taxis after landing as an Arizona Air National Guard F-16 Fighting Falcon lands in the background at the Tucson International Airport on July 13, 2017.
Aircraft Boneyard
C-130 grounded at the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base's Aircraft Boneyard on Oct. 17, 2019.
A US aviation company debuted this all-electric aircraft that produces “no carbon emissions”. Veuer’s Maria Mercedes Galuppo has the story.
Contact senior reporter David Wichner at dwichner@tucson.com or 520-573-4181. On Twitter:
@dwichner. On Facebook: Facebook.com/DailyStarBiz
David Wichner
Reporter
David joined the Star in 1997, after working as a consumer and business reporter in Phoenix for more than a decade. A graduate of Ohio University, he has covered most business beats focusing on technology, defense and utilities. He has won several awards.
More seasonal flights returning to Tucson airport
