American Airlines has donated a retired MD-80 to Oklahoma CareerTech.
The air carrier this year ended flights of the MD-80, a widely used twin-engine commercial jet produced between 1979 and 1999. This 172-seat aircraft was taken out of service in September after 21 years of service and has spent the past few months at American Airlines’ Base Maintenance facility in Tulsa.
CareerTech's new passenger jet, tail number N9621A, arrived at Oklahoma City’s Will Rogers World Airport on Thursday afternoon after a 27-minute flight.
CareerTech will put the MD-80 to use training students for aviation careers. It's a major donation to the state's vocational-technical education system, which is working with lawmakers and industry leaders to bolster Oklahoma's output of aerospace workers.
“As we look to the future of American’s Tech Ops work force, it’s important to train the next generation of aviation maintenance students so we have a development pipeline for skilled technicians,” said Kevin Brickner, senior vice president of technical operations for American Airlines. “Just like the MD-80 inspired our own team members in their career development for more than 35 years, the aircraft will do the same for students for years to come. We are proud to partner with CareerTech and Lewis University on this donation.”
Another MD-80 will be donated to Lewis University in Illinois on Friday.
With the MD-80 donation, CareerTech can expand aviation workforce preparation from a statewide level to the entire CareerTech system. The aircraft will be used to train students in maintenance, repair and overhaul operations, and the corresponding curriculum and training materials will be utilized at all CareerTech technology centers that provide aerospace training.
“The American Airlines donation of a MD-80 aircraft fills a great need for aerospace training in Oklahoma and is a positive step in preparing a highly qualified workforce,” CareerTech Director Marcie Mack said. “This donation opens possibilities for Oklahoma CareerTech students and elevates the hands-on training experience in areas such as MRO and avionics.”
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