HARLINGEN, Texas – Aviation maintenance students at Texas State Technical College's Harlingen campus will train on two additional Cessna 172 aircraft transferred from TSTC's pilot-training program in Waco.
The planes will be used for hands-on inspection, maintenance and repair exercises. Gulf Aviation, a Harlingen company, assisted with moving the aircraft after TSTC pilot-training instructors Jake Miediem and Logan Vocks flew them from Waco.
Carlos Rodriguez, team lead for the Harlingen aviation maintenance program, said the additional aircraft will allow the college to increase cohort capacity and assign more practical projects. Students can use the work to prepare for Federal Aviation Administration airframe certification testing.
The Cessna 172 is a widely used single-engine aircraft, making it useful for teaching systems and maintenance procedures students may encounter in the aviation industry. Training aircraft allow students to practice under instructor supervision before working in commercial maintenance settings.
TSTC's aviation programs are designed around workforce demand and technical credentials. The Harlingen campus offers aviation maintenance instruction as part of a broader group of transportation, manufacturing and technical programs.
The transfer also gives equipment from one TSTC program a second instructional use. The aircraft were donated by the Waco pilot-training operation rather than purchased as new planes for Harlingen.
TSTC said the added capacity is intended to help more students complete practical training and move toward aviation careers in South Texas and elsewhere.
