Tim Unruh

January 31, 2024

Removal of a barrier to growing Salina’s aviation maintenance workforce began in late January when the inaugural AIM Center of Excellence at SLN class gathered for six weeks of training at Salina Regional Airport. AIM stands for Aviation Innovation and Maintenance.

Establishment of the AIM Center at SLN was made possible by a $3,325,000 Kansas Department of Commerce Aviation Learning Opportunities & Funded Training (ALOFT) program grant.

“Training up skilled Kansans to better align with emerging technology in the aviation and aerospace sector is critical,” Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland said. “ALOFT funding is designed to maintain our best-in-class status.”

The first group is part of a pre-apprenticeship program to “expose interested participants to the dynamic world of aviation maintenance,” according to promotional materials, to prepare workers for some high-paying jobs.

Enthusiasm is evident among program founders and one of the major beneficiaries, said Jimmy Sponder, Founder and CEO of 1 Vision Aviation.

“I’m excited to see the light at the end of the tunnel,” said the owner of the aviation, maintenance, repair, and overhaul company that expanded from Sioux City, Iowa, to Salina nearly five years ago. “The AIM Center will guide more people to carriers in aviation maintenance.”

The first “cohort” is being offered at no cost, said Renee Duxler, president and CEO of the Salina Area Chamber of Commerce. The initial class contains 9 members, in part by design, she said. Typical classes are anticipated to reach 25.

“The goal this first time is to get a lot of feedback and tweak the program,” Duxler said. “This is almost a beta testing. We haven’t had the opportunity up until this point, to run through the entire course. It’s a six-week culmination. We want to take our time, start strong and move forward from there. We’re excited to get started.”

The center, which will be headquartered in newly constructed classroom space in Hangar 626 — and a number of other locales in the Salina Airport, including 1 Vision at Hangar 959, aka Big Bertha, and Schilling Aviation, Hangar 409 — is providing a convenient way to promote the important profession to the local economy.

“This is another pathway,” said Lindsey Dreiling, co-owner and CEO of Dreiling Aviation, who chairs the AIM Steering Committee and serves as an aviation consultant for the AIM Center development.

After donating much of their time developing the program and curriculum, organizers are now ready to promote the center.

“Building it was our top priority,” Dreiling said. “Now we’re ready to launch it and recruit a diverse population of students, from 16-year-olds to military veterans, to the transitional worker.”

Look for the AIM Center logo this spring, outside of Hangar 626, where the classroom is under construction, and perhaps in other locations.

Designed to induce the industry with some 160 budding airframe and power plant mechanics over the next two years, the AIM Center of Excellence will provide a primer in sheet metal, paint, composites, and electronics/avionics. Faculty include instructors from Salina Airport tenants, such as Kansas State University-Salina, 1 Vision Aviation, and Blue Beacon Flight Department.

 “Instructors are top-notch, and the depth of the field is pretty good,” said Pieter Miller, deputy executive director of the Salina Airport Authority.

Students will walk away with a set of “micro-credentials” after completion of the six-week course and go to work.

“They are certifications and credits through K-State Salina that they can take with them to future employment and future schooling,” Duxler said.

Higher levels of training and education are possible through K-State Salina or apprenticeship opportunities.

“Knowledge gained through the AIM program bridges skills gaps and allows students to enter a high-quality registered apprenticeship with 1 Vision Aviation, through on-the-job training, or enroll at K-State to get an A&P (airframe and powerplant) certification,” Dreiling said.

There is also a certificate course through Salina Area Technical College to learn more about painting, she said.

“Some of my apprentices are going to the AIM Center. It’s a good thing to have here in Salina,” Sponder said. “It’s letting young people throughout the county know we’ve got this. It’s awesome.”

The jumpstart program is designed as a win for the aviation industry in Salina, said John O’Brien, Salina Airport Authority board member who is on the AIM Steering Committee.

“Through AIM, our Salina youth, adult professionals and (military) veterans will now have an expedited and supported path to a rewarding career without needing to uproot from Kansas,” he said. “This program has the potential to provide a consistent stream of talented employees to the aviation industry, leading to sky-high growth for Salina.”

The AIM Center evolved as the need for the services arose, first with 1 Vision Aviation. 

Eagerness was more than evident on that early September day in 2019 as Sponder outlined big plans for 1 Vision Aviation in front of well-wishers during a ribbon cutting in the big hangar.

Clients from all over the country and dots on the globe, were clamoring to be served.

His local roster of workers had grown from 50 to 70 in Salina, with plans for it to swell well above 400, and to add around-the-clock shifts.

Only one thing stood in Sponder’s way.

“I had the contracts, everything I needed to get it going,” recalled the Sioux City, Iowa entrepreneur, “but I didn’t have the mechanics.”

Sponder’s employment today is roughly 150, but with the addition of aircraft painting services in Hangar 606, there is still demand for more than 500 at 1 Vision.

He offers a pay range for apprentices at $17 an hour and up, depending on experience. Once 1 Vision employees become licensed as A&Ps, their pay increases an additional $4 to $5 an hour, Sponder said.

Others in Salina and Saline County are toiling away to fill other needs, such as the shortage of workforce housing, raising pay for childcare workers, and adding childcare slots.

“The AIM Center is another opportunity to recruit folks into a high-demand, high-wage career to move forward with employment and further training,” Duxler said. “This is one part of the solutions we’re working toward.”

Jaclyn Crow, economic and workforce development director at the Chamber, is busy taking calls about the AIM Center of Excellence.

“It’s very exciting for us,” she said. “I just started in June. It’s new to everyone, but it’s very new to me.”

As a relatively new member to the Airport Authority board, O’Brien said it’s been an honor to watch the AIM Center unfold.

“By partnering with our community’s leadership, the Steering Committee made an unbelievable pace in making this a reality,” he said. “The hired instructors, curriculum and equipment are first class despite the short amount of time. This one-of-a-kind program will get even better in the years to come.”