Valley Career and Technical Center adds new aviation program

FISHERSVILLE, Va. (WHSV) – The Valley Career and Technical Center has recently added an aviation program designed to help local high school students explore various aviation career paths and develop aeronautical, mechanical, engineering, and professional skills.

The program offers both pilot and aircraft maintenance skills, enabling students to excel in safety and specialized career options.

Many of the local high school students who join this program truly aspire to one day fly or work behind the scenes, and they are using the aviation program to hopefully make their dreams a reality.

“I just had a joy like watching like, you know, space and the space of the airplanes, those kind of things, and, you know, in the future, decided, you know, wanting to pursue engineering as a career, that’s actually what I’m going to major in college,” Alex Arroyo, a senior at Staunton High School said.

Arroyo said that he is aware that this can be a challenging field regardless of what path you take, but that’s actually what makes him love it even more.

“I would say I actually worked better under pressure, I think everybody that knows me would say that as well … I’m ready for the challenge and all the challenges it comes with,” Arroyo said.

One student, like many others, said that being part of the Aviation program has made him consider making it his career in the future.

“100%. This is great. It’s always a lot of fun, especially with all them, so as long as all that goes well and I can get to where I need to be. then yeah,” said Bryce Stamm, a senior at Waynesboro High School.

Wyatt James, a former student in the program, said he already is on the path to do just that.

“I’m at Blue Ridge 4 Aviation Technology doing pre-reqs right now, and then I also plan to hopefully get a position in a dynamic aviation and have to be my job,” he said.

James said that for those who are interested in joining the program should ‘absolutely do it.’

“It is a great time if I feel like going through the effort of working with their hands, but it’s very detail-oriented, and you need to be able to pay attention. And if you make a mistake, just own up to it,” James said.

A report by the Aviation Technician Education Council predicts a 20 percent shortfall in aviation maintenance technicians by 2028. This is one of the many reasons instructors find programs like this so important.

“COVID definitely did hurt the industry a lot., you know, looking at travel wise, specifically, traveling went down exponentially. Also with that, we became the furlough … Included with that, people retiring out of aviation, getting out of aviation, and just not having that whole option, really even known,” Ian Hinkle, Aviation Maintenance Technology Instructor at Valley Career and Technical Center said.

Hinkle said it’s like the aviation industry, which got lost in a small chunk of time.

“So having this now is huge, to be able to build up the workforce, to start with new technology, we’re really within a technological age of aviation of growing, and being able to help research go forward with that, it’s going to be really good,” Hinkle said.

Partnering with aviation agencies like Tango Flight and Dynamic Aviation helps make the use of new technology in schools like Valley Tech possible.

“We are building a Vans RV12 aircraft from the ground up. That’s part of the curriculum. In theory, it takes about two years, and at the end of the two years, the aircraft will be certified, it will fly, and each student who has had their hands on the aircraft will get a chance to ride, which is amazing,“ he said.

Hinkle said that with new technology, students will be able to step up their game much quicker.

“Also teaching the piloting skills, and we have flight simulators available with some really, you know, up and up technology. Teaching them navigation, teaching them how to do some landings and I’m actually quite confident that after some lessons only flight simulators, these students will be be able to go and pretty much take off and land on their first flight,” he said.

The school will host an open house on November 3, 2025, from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., where prospective students can visit and learn more.

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