Aims’ New Aviation Maintenance Technician Program Prepares the Next Generation

On May 24, Aviation Maintenance Technician Day recognizes the critical work of aviation maintenance professionals while honoring Charles Edward Taylor, the mechanic who built the engine that powered the Wright brothers’ first successful flight. This date marks Taylor’s birthday and celebrates the technicians who keep aviation moving forward. Without question, it was Taylor's hand-crafted engine that transformed the Wrights' airframe into the extraordinary vehicle that changed transportation forever. Without Taylor's engine, the brothers and aviation would not have soared and moved forward as they did.

This year, the holiday comes at an exciting time for Aims Community College, as it launched its Aircraft Maintenance Technician program in January and recently completed the first semester of classes. To facilitate the program, Aims opened the doors to a state-of-the-art Aircraft Maintenance Training Center (AMTC) at 5833 Langley Avenue in Loveland.

Explore the ATMC

The AMTC is a cutting-edge aviation training facility designed to prepare students for careers in the aerospace industry through immersive, hands-on learning. Students train with evolving technologies in spaces built to support simulators and modern aircraft systems, while enjoying collaborative classrooms, open study areas, a student lounge and faculty support spaces. 

There are upcoming opportunities for prospective students to tour the AMTC. Led by program leadership, this visit takes you through our state-of-the-art labs and working hangar, where you can see the real aircraft used for training and other tools of the trade. If interested, sign up for an upcoming tour. 

Where Technical Skills Meet Opportunity

Aims Aviation Maintenance Chief, Michael Sasso, brings decades of real-world aviation industry experience to the program. Sasso grew up in the aviation industry, following in his father's footsteps, who worked as an aviation mechanic for a major airline. After completing an aviation maintenance training program himself, Sasso went on to spend nearly 40 years working in the airline industry before transitioning into education. 

At Aims, Sasso leads a program that combines hands-on technical training with industry partnerships and workforce readiness. “My passion now is to pass this on to the next generation,” Sasso said. “To help students find that career that I found.”

The two-year associate degree program prepares students to earn their Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Airframe and Powerplant (A&P) certification. It’s the industry-standard credential needed to work on aircraft and aerospace systems and engines. 

“The only way to really learn to be an aviation maintenance technician is to get your hands on it and to be in it each and every day,” Sasso said. “This is a skill-building program. It’s competency-based, and so it really relies on the student being able to perform all of the different technical tasks.”

The program launched after earning FAA Part 147 certification, placing Aims among a select group of certified aviation maintenance schools nationwide. Students train with industry-standard equipment. “We feel that we are on the cutting edge of training technicians to be ready to go out in the field and work not only for the commercial airlines, but in all the different facets of aviation maintenance,” Sasso said.

Industry demand for aviation maintenance technicians continues to climb. According to Sasso, the aviation industry is expected to need more than 700,000 technicians worldwide over the next 30 years as much of the current workforce is currently at or approaching retirement age.“The demand for aviation maintenance technicians is extremely high,” he said. “All of these folks are hiring right now and looking for talent. And so that’s what we want to produce, is quality talent.”

Aims is already building strong industry partnerships. Frontier Airlines has created a direct employment pathway for Aims graduates, including potential hiring incentives for students entering the workforce after graduation. “When we began this school, we were looking for an industry partner who would hire our students right away out of school,” Sasso said. “Frontier stepped up to the plate and has offered to hire at least five to 10 of our students right out of the first class.”

Starting in the Fall of 2026, students in the program can choose from morning, afternoon or evening schedules, allowing flexibility for working adults and nontraditional students. Current students range in age from teenagers beginning their careers to adults making major career changes later in life.

“This opportunity is for everyone,” Sasso said. “Whether you like to tinker and build stuff and take stuff apart, or you’ve never taken anything apart in your life, we can actually train you to be an aircraft maintenance technician from start to finish.”

For more information, visit aims.co/aircraft-tech.