November 27, 2009
Media contact: Kim Lawrence
Cell: 604-302-6257
Office: 604-864-4611
kim.lawrence@ufv.ca
Public invited to tour UFV Aircraft Structures Training Centre
If you love airplanes – and not just flying in them – UFV is looking for you. The university is opening its aircraft structures training hangar at the Abbotsford International Airport on Wednesday, December 2 to the general public for an afternoon of checking out planes, helicopters, and the equipment used to keep them in the air.
The facility, located at 30645 Firecat Ave., welcomes dozens of students each year as part of UFV’s 10-month-long Aircraft Structures Technician program (the next intake is slated for February 2010). Trained structures technicians repair and overhaul aircraft, manufacturing, modifying, and repairing sheet metal parts, structures, skins, and panels. They work with airlines, aircraft manufacturers, fixed-base operations, large repair and overhaul organizations, and specialty repair shops.
The public is welcome to come see what it’s all about at the Dec 2 open house from 4–8 pm. Visitors can explore the training facility, see aircraft under restoration (Lockheed Lodestar, Boeing 737-200, Sikorsky Sea Hawk, and Piaggio P149D), get hands-on and rivet an airplane-shaped keychain (first 50 visitors only), and check out a rocket used in the film Night at the Museum – Battle of the Smithsonian.
UFV is welcoming applicants for the program, which begins February 1, 2010 – just in time for Grade 12 grads finishing a semester early, or mid-career folks looking for a new direction. Recent developments mean that applicants may be eligible for financial assistance through EI, including living expenses, child care, commuting/travel costs, tuition, and living-away-from-home costs. Applications will be accepted onsite at the open house event.
Aircraft Structures is a high-tech trade in a clean, climate-controlled environment. There’s no prior experience required and it’s ideal for both men and women. The UFV Aircraft Structures certificate is Transport Canada approved, which means that it is recognized throughout Canada. Graduates are qualified to start as structures apprentices and eventually become "S"-licensed aircraft structures technicians.
Call 1-888-504-7441 local 5402 or email aerospace@ufv.ca for details.
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