By Daleen R. Berry

Over 100 people attended an orientation for the MAAC ACT program about three months ago. Of those, 67 were tested for basic knowledge, 43 of those passed, and the top 30 were selected to attend the program.

Many of the 26 MAAC graduates heard about the training program through well-placed newspaper ads. One such student, a mother of three grown children who was in the mortgage lending business for 15 years, said her daughter told her about the advertisement. Judy Curran, one of only three women in the graduating class, said she took the training because she liked the idea of working in the aviation field, since she enjoys math and science.

"It was excellent. They had really exceptional instructors," Curran said about the 12-week course.

Another student, Joe Laskarin of Mannington, retired after 20 years as an aircraft mechanic with the United States Coast Guard. "But nobody will hire you without an (airframe and powerplant) license." So Laskarin, who moved his wife and son here from Oregon, decided to see what the program offered. He said he already had a good working knowledge of many of the basic skills taught early in the program, so he enjoyed the more specialized areas of instruction, such as working with sheet metal and composites.

Another graduate, Johnny Michaels of Preston County, was an aircraft mechanic with the United States Air Force. He, too, lacked a license to work on aircraft in the civilian industry.

A former truck driver and Fairmont resident, Brian Paul said he, too, hopes to have a career as an aircraft mechanic.

Fresh out of high school, Paul Jones is very excited about his future job prospects in the aviation industry. Jones, a Fairmont resident, said he looks forward to gaining more experience and in starting a career here. "I've been interested in aviation since I could look up to the sky and see the planes," he added.

Joe Leuliette of Bridgeport is one graduate who is already employed by a MAAC partner. Leuliette works on the airfield for Benedum Airport Authority. In his former career, he worked on hydraulics for a machine shop that was dependent upon ever-dwindling coal industry. "There's a lot of opportunity here. The perks, the pay. The aerospace industry seems to be employee-oriented. If employees have ideas, they listen. They genuinely care about their people," Leuliette said.