Aeronautical program hits snags

By STEPHEN BARTLETT
Staff Writer

March 03, 2008 04:00 am

— PLATTSBURGH -- A whole lot of loose ends need tying before Plattsburgh Aeronautical Institute becomes reality.
Clinton Community College recently got the nod for its curriculum for the technician-training program, but there's no location for the school yet, and CV-TEC has its enrollment deadlines that must be met.
Funding for the Laurentian Aerospace project -- the spur to create the new education program -- remains unclear in a struggling economy.
And even after all of those matters are ironed out, everything needs FAA approval.
To put it simply, CCC Interim President Dr. Frederick Woodward said, "there are still some issues."
FUNDING UNCERTAINTIES
Laurentian Aerospace Corp., based in Canada, two years ago proposed establishing a plane-refurbishing operation at PARC's flight line. There are only two other sites that do this specific type of work, and they are both overseas.
The project was expected to create hundreds of local jobs.
Laurentian had airline companies eager to become customers, and investors lined up for its $170 million proposal. But one of the major investors, based in Germany, backed out after initially agreeing to fund the project.
Now, the U.S. economy is struggling, and credit is much harder to come by.
Some people, who thought shovels would be in the ground by now, are skeptical about the future of the project.
CURRICULUM APPROVED
Meanwhile, Plattsburgh Aeronautical Institute was hoping to open in September 2008.
The articulated program would allow juniors and seniors to earn more than 30 college credits while in high school, entering CCC with only a year remaining for an associate degree and eligibility for FAA certification as Part 147 airframe and power-plant technicians.
"They have to be tested and certified by the FAA," Woodward said. "It is a rigorous program."
That training is vital to attracting companies like Laurentian, which has indicated it is interested in employing graduates in jobs that pay around $49,000 yearly.
Plattsburgh Aeronautical Institute organizers devised a curriculum that would be used for certification, and it recently received approval from the State University of New York system and an unofficial nod from the State Education Department.
SITE NEEDED
CCC officials are holding out hope that Plattsburgh Aeronautical Institute can open this fall, but that, of course, depends on how quickly everyone involved overcomes the obstacles in their path toward success. Still, Woodward is optimistic.
"The biggest question mark for us is space."
CCC needs anywhere from 16,000 to 25,000 square feet to get the school up and running.
"We are in discussions right now as far as the type of space," Woodward said. "We are in the process of looking at space around the area."
Sites at the former Plattsburgh Air Force Base that had been suggested now can't be used.
One possibility is the former location of CommutAir at the old Clinton County Airport. That space could be leased with an option to own, and negotiations are ongoing.
"And even if we get space, the FAA has to approve it and the curriculum," Woodward said. "There are a lot of approvals yet that are still out there that still have to be finalized."
CV-TEC, a partner in the project, would have to meet enrollment deadlines if the school were to open in the fall, and its portion of the project also needs the approval of the State Education Department.
Then, of course, there are uncertainties surrounding Laurentian's funding.
"It can be a terrific program if there are jobs on the other end," Woodward said. "Wouldn't we all like to know."
sbartlett@pressrepublican.com