Southern Oklahoma Technology Center in Ardmore is developing an airframe and powerplant technician program, partly with the assistance of Dallas-based King Aerospace, whose MRO operations in Ardmore comprise 200,000 sq ft of hangars as well as an FBO. King Aerospace Commercial Corp. v-p of operations Roy Lischinsky will serve on Southern Tech’s advisory board for the program.

Using a $4 million grant from the Economic Development Administration CARES Act, the school plans to build an 18,775-sq-ft training facility with a shop area, classrooms, and lab spaces for hands-on training. Program details and curriculum are being finalized, but the program is expected to take a year to complete and graduate 16 students a year, who will then be able to sit for the FAA exam.

“Graduates will be in high demand for aviation careers and other fields that require a high degree of mechanical knowledge,” said Lischinsky.