The Gateway Academy to Technology and Innovation and the Christian County Public School System is now the official home to an Army helicopter and two salvaged engines following a ceremony Monday afternoon.
The UH-IH Airframe and the two T53-13B engines were donated to the Christian County Chamber of Commerce by Bell Helicopter and with the official signing of the certificate of transfer, they’re now in the hands of Gateway. From here, Gateway intends to create an Aviation Mechanics Program and Principal Penny Knight says they plan to have it up and running in no time, with six students already signing up to participate.
Doug Englen with Bell Trexton says people talk about the lack of air services in smaller communities, and the main cause of that is due to a lack of mechanics to maintain the crafts.
Chief Warrant Officer Jamie Craig says he hopes this program sparks interest and a love for aviation in the community and beyond. He says the maintenance of air craft like this helicopter provides not only safety and healthcare services, but all provides support to troops on the battlefield.
Special thanks was given to Jim Lancaster and his team from H&R Agri-Power, who hauled the helicopter and the engines from their location with Bell back to Christian County.
