Aviation Institute of Maintenance’s (AIM) Norfolk campus has partnered with Piedmont Airlines, a wholly owned subsidiary of American Airlines, to help combat the Aviation Maintenance Technician (AMT) shortage. In a recent Boeing report, it is estimated that 132,000 new Aviation Maintenance Technicians are needed in the United States over the next 20 years to keep up with airline demands. The AIM/Piedmont partnership allows for qualified students to be screened into the accelerated 12-month AMT program, have their tuition fully paid for, and have a conditional job offer with Piedmont Airlines upon completion of the program and certification from the FAA.
Since the Piedmont program is accelerated, AIM has dedicated instructors who have extensive knowledge and experience in the field. The first ever AIM Piedmont program instructor is Dominic Cummings, affectionately known by his students as DC. DC served in the US Navy for four years as an Operations Specialist. After getting out in 2003, he decided to apply to AIM’s AMT program, from which he graduated and obtained his FAA A&P License 2005. He worked all over the country as an AMT, and eventually worked his way up the ranks to become the Maintenance Supervisor for PSA at Norfolk International Airport. He then went on to work for the US Navy, performing maintenance on their airplanes but decided teaching future AMTs was where his passion lies.
After nine years in the field, DC came back to AIM Norfolk where it all began and became the first Piedmont program instructor after being sought out for the position specifically. His background and expertise made him a perfect fit to contribute to the unique experience offered by AIM and Piedmont Airlines. When asked what advice he would give to a new AMT student, he said, “You need to put in the work at school and at home to understand the material. Take it seriously. It is better to be valuable than to be experienced and not valuable.”
DC’s experience as an AMT had him travelling all over the world, but his favorite place was Davenport, Iowa where he worked at Quad Cities International Airport. What really appealed to him about the area was the ability to travel anywhere and the demand for A&Ps was significantly higher, which meant he would always have a job.
