New High School to Offer Aviation Programs

A new $155 million high school in Stafford County that will open in 2025 will help educate the next generation of aviation professionals.  The school will feature programs for aircraft mechanics, systems technicians, aviation quality control techs, and drone pilots.

Michael Scullen, chairman of the school division’s capital improvement advisory committee, said that drones are “a hot field that would offer students licensure when they graduate high school.”

The Stafford County Public Schools district also plans to build a hangar to house aircraft and systems that are expected to be donated to the programs.  Scullen told the school board that 1,000 aircraft per year are expected to enter the worldwide fleet for the next 25 years, and more than 480,000 new technicians will be needed to service the aircraft.  Scullen’s briefing noted that aviation professionals are retiring at a pace that is faster than new entrants coming into the industry.  He said the average salary for an aircraft tech is $75,000 a year.