A county airport in southern Michigan is building an aviation maintenance school that would provide tuition-free A&P training to local high school students. Jackson County Airport–Reynolds Field, located about 40 miles west of Detroit, is seeking $300,000 in state funding to help equip and operate the proposed program. The effort follows a $500,000 federal award secured through Congressionally Directed Spending by U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., to support startup costs including facilities and tooling.
The 13-month A&P program is expected to begin in September 2027 with an initial cohort of 30 students. Juniors and seniors in Jackson County high schools would attend at no cost while working toward earning their A&P qualifications. Adult students would also be eligible to enroll, with projected tuition set at $30,000.
Airport Manager Juan Zapata said the program is designed to create a direct pathway into the certificated mechanic workforce.
“It’s another trade school available here for the Jackson community, and most importantly, it’s a trade school that high school kids can go to at no cost,” Zapata told local outlet, MLive. “Jackson County has a large population that are lower income, and so we’re trying to help those individuals get into a well-paying career that’s not going to cost them.”
The school would operate as an independent nonprofit and is expected to sustain operations through adult A&P tuition revenue once established.
The initiative comes as industry groups continue to track maintenance workforce constraints. A 2025 report by the Aviation Technician Education Council and Oliver Wyman projected a certificated mechanic shortfall equal to roughly 10% of commercial aviation demand this year, citing fleet growth and retirements.
Zapata told MLive that aviation maintenance is “one of those aviation careers that are greatly in need throughout the United States,” adding that trained mechanics “will be able to find jobs all over the country.”
https://avweb.com/aviation-news/michigan-county-building-free-ap-program