Plan to teach flying in Baltimore County slowly takes off

First published Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024 in the Dundalk Eagle.

There’s a shortage of plane mechanics, pilots and more. Maryland Del. Ric Metzgar wants to fix that by encouraging more students to study trades.

“Not everyone is destined or can afford college,” read a press release his office sent out.

So his office and Glenn Ponas, the high school outreach director for the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, set up a meeting to talk about getting it established in Baltimore County. Representatives from Baltimore County Public Schools, Essex Sky Park, the Community College of Baltimore County, and the Glenn L. Martin Maryland Aviation Museum discussed how to bring aviation education to the region on Aug. 14.

Starting wages, the press release said, start at $50,000.

“Southwest Airlines has hired every available airplane mechanic in the state and there is still a shortage of certified mechanics,” Gustavus McLeod, a pilot and executive director of the Glenn L. Martin Maryland Aviation Museum, said in the press release.

The program could be integrated into schools in eastern Baltimore County — flight training courses are already offered at Landsdowne, Hereford and Kenwood High Schools. Metzgar suggested adding another at Sollers Point Technical High School.

The Essex Community College of Baltimore County, attendees suggested, could teach advanced courses.

Learning to fly isn’t cheap, though — according to the press release, it can cost $180 an hour. Private pilots have undergo new training every two years, called a biennial flight review. The press release suggested that scholarships or state funding could cover the training cost.

“This is an historical opportunity,” Ponas said in the press release, “because for the first time we have the components in the aviation field together.”