TSTC adds two aircraft to expand aviation training in Harlingen

Aviation maintenance students at Texas State Technical College in Harlingen will have two more aircraft to train on as the college works to expand hands-on instruction and prepare more students for careers in the industry.

Two Cessna 172 aircraft have been transferred to the Harlingen campus through a partnership between TSTC and Harlingen-based Gulf Aviation. The planes were donated by TSTC’s Aircraft Pilot Training program in Waco and will now be used by aviation maintenance students to practice aircraft inspection, maintenance, and repair. 

“It will allow us to increase the number of students per cohort, provide more hands-on projects, and help more students prepare to test for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Aircraft Airframe certificate,” Carlos Rodriguez, team lead for TSTC’s aviation maintenance program in Harlingen, said. 

The aircraft were flown from Waco to Harlingen by TSTC Aircraft Pilot Training instructors Jake Miediem and Logan Vocks. Gulf Aviation assisted in transporting the planes after they arrived in Harlingen and getting them to TSTC’s aviation maintenance hangar. 

Arlene Garza, president of Gulf Aviation, said the Harlingen company was pleased to help move the aircraft so they could begin serving as training tools for students.

“Gulf Aviation was honored to play a key role in transporting the donated Cessna 172 aircraft to TSTC, helping ensure the aircraft arrived safely so it could begin its next chapter as a hands-on educational resource for aviation maintenance students,” Garza said. 

The partnership also connects TSTC’s aviation programs in different parts of Texas. Aircraft previously used to train pilots in Waco will now be used to train future aircraft maintenance professionals in Harlingen.

For the Rio Grande Valley, the partnership adds training capacity in an occupation that TSTC says is expected to grow statewide.

Aircraft mechanics and service technicians in Texas earn an average annual salary of $84,440, according to employment data cited by TSTC from O*NET OnLine. Employment in the occupation is projected to grow 8% in Texas between 2024 and 2034. 

TSTC offers associate degrees and certificates of completion in Aircraft Airframe and Aircraft Powerplant at its Harlingen, Abilene and Waco campuses. 

The Harlingen partnership is intended to strengthen the connection between technical education and industry while building the pipeline of aviation professionals entering the workforce.