When Congress passed the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 in May, the bill included aviation workforce initiatives championed by Sen. Raphael Warnock.
The legislation, which will be renewed every five years to support the aviation industry, includes $240 million for aviation workforce development. The bill also includes Warnock’s AIRWAYS Act, which is supported by Gulfstream and aims to strengthen the aviation workforce pipeline.
Senator Warnock visited Savannah on Monday for the first time since the bill was passed, touring the aviation training campuses of Gulfstream and Savannah Tech. Senator Warnock, a Savannah native, highlighted the bill’s support for programs like Savannah Tech’s that address the aviation industry’s workforce shortage.
“I know where the talent is,” Warnock said, “It’s all over Savannah, on both sides of the tracks.”
Savannah Tech’s School of Aviation offers four areas of study: Aircraft Technology, Aircraft Maintenance, Advanced Aircraft Maintenance, and Avionics. The areas of study offer a variety of certificate and diploma programs.
The aviation program also offers dual enrollment courses in aircraft maintenance, performance and design through a partnership with Gulfstream and the Savannah-Chatham County Public Schools system. The program offers hands-on and apprenticeship opportunities with Gulfstream and places students in job interviews before graduation.
“They’re setting a model for what we want to see across the country,” Warnock said.
A tour of Savannah Tech’s aviation campus on Monday featured training sessions, with students completing final projects on aircraft mechanics and practicing assembling various aircraft parts. One student, Justin Harris, explained to Warnock the purpose of the magneto part he was assembling.
Known as the “heart of the ignition system,” the part delivers high voltage to the spark plugs, acting directly on the engine. Harris then showed Warnock a test demonstration of the part, with the lights out and a handful of spark plugs firing rapidly.
“These students are so incredible,” Warnock said. “You can’t bet against the American worker.”
Savannah Tech leaders then took the senator to the school’s maintenance hangar, where about a dozen students work on mostly small, two-seater aircraft, and the tour ended with Warnock holding a press conference with local media.
Warnock was responding to a question about President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the Democratic primary, in which he praised the president’s choice as “patriotic” and voiced his support for Vice President Kamala Harris.
“The American people have a decision to make. The people of Georgia have a decision to make, and we only have a few months left to make that decision,” Warnock said. “I think it’s going to be an interesting test for all of us, but I have my full support for Kamala Harris.”
Evan Lasseter is city and county government reporter for the Savannah Morning News. He can be reached at ELasseter@gannett.com.
