CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) - Yeager Airport and Marshall University are looking at the possibility of developing an aviation school in West Virginia.
The Herald-Dispatch reports the airport’s board voted Wednesday to sign a memorandum of understanding with Marshall University to determine the feasibility and sustainability of adding the school at Yeager. Marshall spokeswoman Ginny Painter said Thursday that the school had not yet signed the memorandum.
Officials plan to study the issue over the next 12 months. If they decide to move forward, Yeager Executive Director Terry Sayre said the aviation school would be located adjacent to the east end of a now-closed runway that had primarily served smaller aircraft.
“It’s an exciting opportunity for us,” Sayre said. “We needed to do something about bringing jobs to the area. People who are trained here can work at airports across the state. There’s a national shortage of pilots and aircraft mechanics.”
If approved, the school and its curriculum would be developed through Marshall’s Robert C. Byrd Institute of Advanced and Flexible Manufacturing, its Appalachian Transportation Institute, its College of Education and Professional Development and its College of Information Technology and Engineering.
It could offer fields of study that include pilot training, aeronautical science, aviation maintenance and air traffic control.
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Information from: The Herald-Dispatch, http://www.herald-dispatch.com
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