By BRIAN JUSTICE | Courtesy of the Herald Chronicle
WINCHESTER — Following the deaths of two instructors and a series of technical hurdles delaying Federal Aviation Administration approval, the aviation maintenance technology program at Winchester Municipal Airport has been canceled.
Katelyn Sanders, Winchester Municipal Airport manager, updated the Winchester City Council earlier this month about the project’s status.
Sanders said the Tennessee College of Applied Technology, which has been managing the program, submitted a lease-termination notice to the airport explaining the developments.
She cited persistent challenges such as staffing constraints, FAA delays, funding issues and lack of access to necessary equipment as reasons why the educational program is being abandoned. She added that TCAT will remain at the site for the remainder of the school’s lease agreement, which expires at year’s end.
{Editor’s Note: This article is brought to thanks to an editorial partnership between The Lynchburg Times and The Herald Chronicle. To read more of their articles, click here.}
Won’t get off he launching pad.
Jimmy Wright, president of the Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Shelbyville, which manages the Franklin County TCAT campus, said Friday that the obstacles the aviation program faced could not be overcome.
“It’s a program that won’t be able to get off the launching pad,” he said.
Wright said the biggest hurdle involved getting the power-plant section of the program approved by the FAA. However, getting the necessary equipment, costing about $500,000, hasn’t happened because of funding issues, and the school has not been able to come up with the money, he added.
“This is a blow for TCAT, but we don’t have any other path to go down,” Wright said.
Pam Kreidenweis, Franklin County economic development director, shared Wright’s sentiments about the program closing.
“TCAT is dedicated to delivering high-quality technical and vocational education, preparing students for successful careers and supporting regional economic growth across Tennessee,” she said. “After considerable effort and planning, the TCAT program intended for the Winchester Airport will not move forward.
“Despite strong local support, the program faced a series of logistical and regulatory challenges that ultimately prevented it from launching as envisioned. We are grateful to our partners and community members who supported this initiative, and we will continue working together to pursue solutions that benefit Winchester and Franklin County.”
Winchester Mayor Sean Crabtree echoed Wright and Kreidenweis’ assessments.
“I was initially excited about the prospects and the alternative education that this facility would provide for our young people in Winchester to earn a good living,” he said. “I’m saddened by the fact that TCAT chose to pull out. However, despite this, I’m still very enthusiastic and excited about the future for the Winchester airport.”
Wright said TCAT has been trying to resolve the program’s issues for most of the year.
Two instructors died
The facility was close to accommodating its first students at the beginning of the year, but a discrepancy in the application process led to it not meeting FAA power-plant-program requirements, resulting in another delay.
Wright had said that he and FAA officials were reviewing details just before Christmas 2024, and it was discovered that the power-plant program was lacking in equipment necessary to meet FAA requirements for an approved aviation-maintenance-technology school.
Wright said that the discovery caused the initial application to become null and void, and TCAT had to repeat the process. He said at the time that garnering final approval could take about a year with the school opening in January 2026.
The turn of events meant that the initial schedule for the project was set back by two total years.
Plans were initially made to have the vocational program accommodate its first students in January 2024, pending FAA approval.
However, with two instructors passing away and the third one retiring, the facility’s expected opening was delayed until January 2025 — a year later than the initial target date.
Head instructor Scott Scarborough died on Dec. 7, 2023, and adjunct instructor Jon Foote passed away on June 27, 2024. The program’s third teacher, adjunct instructor Bruce Hatch, also retired.
Wright had said on July 3, 2024, that despite the staffing losses, TCAT had hired teaching personnel to continue with the program. However, coming up with the $500,000 for the power-plant equipment did not happen, and the program had to be abandoned.
Also at issue is what will happen with equipment that has already been purchased for the airframe-mechanic section of the program.
The County Commission had applied and received a grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission with the ARC and the county each chipping in $125,000 for $250,000 in total funding.
Wright said the county owns the equipment and has options in deciding what to do with it. He added that it probably couldn’t be sold because of the grant requirements but could probably be donated to another aviation program elsewhere.
“They have a lot of options,” he said.
Franklin County Mayor Chris Guess said he and other county officials are looking into finding alternative uses for the equipment.
“We recognize the importance of being good stewards of public funds, and we are currently reviewing the situation to determine how this equipment can be best utilized to benefit our community and fulfill the original intent of advancing technical training and job readiness,” he said. “We will continue working closely with our partners to ensure a responsible and productive path forward.
“Franklin County remains committed to supporting workforce development and educational opportunities for our residents. While the TCAT aviation program unfortunately did not get off the ground as initially planned, we are grateful for the investments made by both the county and the Appalachian Regional Commission with each contributing $125,000 toward specialized equipment intended to support this initiative.” •
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