{"id":7244,"date":"2023-07-12T11:33:57","date_gmt":"2023-07-12T11:33:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aviation-news.info\/?p=7244"},"modified":"2023-07-12T11:33:57","modified_gmt":"2023-07-12T11:33:57","slug":"gntc-propels-student-toward-career-in-aviation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aviation-news.info\/?p=7244","title":{"rendered":"GNTC propels student toward career in aviation"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>A young pilot says thanks to Georgia Northwestern Technical College (GNTC) he is working his way toward his lifelong dream of a career in aviation.<\/p>\n<p>Benson Milam, 18, said, weather permitting, he sometimes flies back and forth to his Aviation Maintenance Technology classes at GNTC\u2019s Aviation Training Center at the Richard B. Russell Regional Airport in Rome from his home in Rocky Face in Whitfield County.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI became obsessed with anything that flies at a very young age,\u201d Milam said, adding he started lessons nine years ago. \u201cI\u2019m not sure where it came from, but it has been a crucial part of my life.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"tncms-region-article_instory_top\" class=\"tncms-region hidden-print\"><\/div>\n<p>He earned his student pilot\u2019s license on April 7, 2021, he said. Four days later his parents purchased him a 1946 Aeronca Model 7AC Champion, a cloth-covered, two-seat model designed for flight training, he said.<\/p>\n<p>He earned his full private pilot\u2019s license, which allows him to carry passengers, on June 1, 2022, he said. He has clocked 380 hours of flight time to date.<\/p>\n<p>As his childhood passion for aviation took flight, his mother suggested he consider becoming an aircraft mechanic, he said.<\/p>\n<p>While a student at Coahulla Creek High School, he began a work-based learning program through the Northwest Georgia College and Career Academy in Dalton. This allowed him to work at the Tom B. David Airport in Calhoun, where he had already been spending a lot of time, he said.<\/p>\n<p>He became a Dual Enrollment student at GNTC in spring 2022 so he could start working toward his airframe and power plant certifications, he said. He graduated from Coahulla Creek High School in 2023.<\/p>\n<p>He soared in the Aviation Maintenance Technology high school competition at the SkillsUSA Georgia 2022 State Leadership and Skills Conference in Atlanta, earning the gold medal (first place). SkillsUSA serves middle school, high school and college\/post-secondary students preparing for careers in trade, technical and skilled service vocations, according to SkillsUSA.<\/p>\n<p>Milam said since childhood he has \u201cloved to take things apart just to see how they work and then put them back together.\u201d Now he is learning how to ensure aircraft function properly.<\/p>\n<div id=\"tncms-region-article_instory_middle\" class=\"tncms-region hidden-print\"><\/div>\n<p>\u201cBecause of his maturity, Benson has done well in the classroom and excels in the labs,\u201d said Eric O. Nelson, GNTC Aviation Maintenance Technology instructor. Milam allows classmates to examine his airplane to boost their educational experience.<\/p>\n<p>GNTC\u2019s Aviation Maintenance Technology program is equipping him with the skills and experience he needs to earn a living doing what he loves, Milam said. He expects to earn his diploma in fall 2024.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy coursework at GNTC gives me real-life scenarios and teaches me how to fix my problem at hand,\u201d he explained. \u201cI have noticed that my confidence and skill go up when I am working on planes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In fact, the aluminum Cessna 150 at GNTC\u2019s Aviation Training Center hangar shares many similarities with his plane, he said.<\/p>\n<p>After classes, he continues to work as a lineman at the Tom B. David Airport in Calhoun. There he monitors the aircraft radio, fuels airplanes, tells pilots where to park and performs general maintenance around the airport, such as changing runway lights.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBenson has become a staple at the Calhoun airport as a pilot and as an employee,\u201d Nelson said.<\/p>\n<p>Milam said while he continues to decide his future career destination, he knows he will be happy to do almost anything with airplanes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRight now, I\u2019m working on being able to give rides in a 1942 Boeing Stearman,\u201d Milam said.<\/p>\n<p>Combining his passion for aviation with the hands-on training and skills he is learning at GNTC, \u201cthe sky is the limit for Benson\u2019s career in aviation,\u201d Nelson said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A young pilot says thanks to Georgia Northwestern Technical College (GNTC) he is working his way toward his lifelong dream of a career in aviation. Benson Milam, 18, said, weather permitting, he sometimes flies back and forth to his Aviation Maintenance Technology classes at GNTC\u2019s Aviation Training Center at the Richard B. Russell Regional Airport &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7245,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpscppro_dont_share_socialmedia":false,"_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":0,"_facebook_share_type":"","_twitter_share_type":"","_linkedin_share_type":"","_pinterest_share_type":"","_linkedin_share_type_page":"","_instagram_share_type":"","_medium_share_type":"","_threads_share_type":"","_google_business_share_type":"","_selected_social_profile":[],"_wpsp_enable_custom_social_template":false,"_wpsp_social_scheduling":{"enabled":false,"datetime":null,"platforms":[],"status":"template_only","dateOption":"today","timeOption":"now","customDays":"","customHours":"","customDate":"","customTime":"","schedulingType":"absolute"},"_wpsp_active_default_template":true},"categories":[96,102],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7244","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-aviation-world","category-featured-en"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.4 (Yoast SEO v27.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>GNTC propels student toward career in aviation - aviation news<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/aviation-news.info\/?p=7244\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"GNTC propels student toward career in aviation\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A young pilot says thanks to Georgia Northwestern Technical College (GNTC) he is working his way toward his lifelong dream of a career in aviation. 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