Mike Myers explains to students how the engine swap is going to occur over the next few days in their HIA Piedmont hangar.
On Thursday, October 20, 2022, eight Middletown Area High School seniors attended a workshop at Harrisburg International Airport with Piedmont Airlines. This trip was an introduction to an exciting program linking local students with Piedmont Airlines and Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics (PIA) for a program that offers a fully paid tuition program with PIA as well as three other schools. These programs take 12-16 months and when completed, each student is guaranteed a position at a Piedmont based airport hangar. The total cost of these programs ranged from $20,000-$30,000 and because of the partnership with Piedmont, this is free to students who apply and are accepted. All students who are accepted into the program receive a tool cart with over $6,000 in tools which will cover all of their basic needs of being an aircraft technician. When students have completed the program, they will be certified to work on aircraft as a maintenance technician with the starting wage of $27.00 per hour, with plenty of overtime available. Besides being able to fly on American Airlines for free, this position offers excellent benefits and also the ability to relocate to any Piedmont hanger on the east coast. This is an excellent program that will benefit any Middletown student who wants to apply.