by Cassandra Isackson
Director, Minnesota DOT Office of Aeronautics
Published in Midwest Flyer – June/July 2018 issue
As you have read in recent Aeronautics Technical Bulletins, we in the Minnesota Office of Aeronautics are celebrating 75 years of partnerships with Minnesota’s fabulous publicly owned and operated airports. But in addition to that celebration, we are also thrilled to be celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Minnesota Aviation Maintenance Technician Conference.
This spring we had another very exciting and successful conference. Nearly 400 people attended the event March 19-20, 2018 at the Earle Brown Heritage Center in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota. This conference was for aviation maintenance technicians, IAs, industry employers, aviation vendors, and aviation maintenance college students. In addition, there was a special program for high school students seeking careers in aviation!
The conference featured more than 20 breakout sessions that ranged from aircraft brakes, to composite repair, to the connected aircraft that discussed secure internet services for business aircraft. The FAA provided several speakers on a wide range of topics for the general sessions.
Throughout the conference, attendees had the opportunity to meet with industry personnel and maintenance experts from over 50 exhibitors, while checking out some of the latest technologies and tools for aircraft maintenance. There were more than 100 aviation maintenance college students from Lake Superior College, Northland Community and Technical College and Lake Area Technical Institute. There were also over 60 high school students from as far away as Duluth Denfeld High School, who attended a special program designed especially for them. The student program answered their questions, peaked their interests, and let them network with industry personnel.
It was a great 2018 Aviation Maintenance Technician Conference and a great way to celebrate 50 years of training and information for Minnesota’s (and the region’s) dedicated aviation maintenance technicians. This annual event occurs with the outstanding support and partnership of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system, and the Minnesota State Transportation Center of Excellence located at the Dakota County Technical College campus and of course MnDOT Aeronautics.
