Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics said it plans a $1.3 million expansion at its Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport campus.
The school expects to break ground next month for a two-story building at the south side of its Hangar 3 building at the airport, according to a news release. The building will feature new electrical and welding classrooms, an aeronautics lab, administrative offices and a conference area.
The campus also includes a student resource center with a computer lab and publications library.
Its hangar includes specialized shop areas for aircraft propulsion systems, electricity, sheet metal, hydraulics, instruments and controls, composite materials, non-destructive testing, welding and painting.
“Our expansion is a pivotal first step in the significant renovation and expansion of the learning environment and technology available to our students,” Suzanne Markle, executive vice president of PIA, said in the news release. “Ohio has a strong history in aviation, and PIA continues to play a large part in the growth and development of the aviation industry.”
Since 2006, PIA’s Trumbull County campus at the airport has been training certified and work-ready aviation maintenance technicians with a 16-month diploma program in aviation maintenance technology.
Buying the property owned by the Western Reserve Port Authority represents an investment in and commitment to the economic development of the Mahoning Valley, said John Moliterno, executive director of the Port Authority.
“Residents and employers of the region are fortunate to have the specialized training that’s available at PIA,” Moliterno said.
“Their presence makes it possible for young people of the Mahoning Valley to stay here for the type of training that can lead to high-demand careers as well as attract new people to the area.”
PIA was opened by Glenn Curtiss and Orville Wright in 1927 as Curtiss-Wright Flying Service, and became PIA in 1929.
In addition to its Vienna campus, the school offers an associate in specialized technology degree at its West Mifflin campus near Pittsburgh and diploma programs in Hagerstown, Md., and Myrtle Beach, S.C.