NIC to start training airplane mechanics

North Idaho College received approval June 30 from the Federal Aviation Administration to start an aviation maintenance technician program this year.

Pat O’Halloran, director of the Aerospace Center, said the school has been working for 18 months to get FAA approval for the program. NIC already offers advanced manufacturing classes at the center, which started in 2013 after the community college won a nearly $3 million U.S. Department of Labor grant.

The wages for building aircraft parts are $12 an hour locally. Students who graduate from the maintenance program, taught at the school’s Aerospace Center for Excellence in Hayden, will be able to apply for jobs next door at Empire Airlines, which hires mechanics at $18 an hour.

Airlines have difficult recruiting mechanics, said Empire Airlines President and CEO Tim Komberec.

“It means that we have a source of qualified aviation mechanics right next door, which is extremely important to us,” he said.

Right now, Empire is recruiting for six mechanics position and expects to hire 20 to 30 more in the next year, due to a combination of growth and turnover. Komberec said mechanics training is also available at a Spokane, Wash. community college, though there’s been a low volume of students at that school recently.

Empire has about 120 employees in Hayden and 340 employees in all.  The company’s primary business is operating 50 planes as a feeder carrier for FedEx Corp,. and it also operates passenger service in Hawaii for Ohana by Hawaiian Airlines. The company does heavy maintenance and modifications for regional –sized airplanes under the name Empire Aerospace, and recently partnered with another company to launch an agricultural drone service called Empire Unmanned.