Choose Aerospace Students Join Aviation Maintenance Competitions at Verticon and MRO Americas

Current and former CA students recently had the experience of a lifetime competing at recent Aviation Maintenance Council competitions. Four CA students from the Amplifi after-school program in Marion, Illinois competed at Verticon conference in Dallas and two former CA students, now attending Western Michigan University, competed at MRO Americas in Atlanta. 

The Amplifi program draws students from around the Marion, Illinois area to meet at a Part 145 repair station to study together after school three days a week. The WMU TechOps students graduated last year from the West Michigan Aviation Academy CA program in Grand Rapids. At both events, the students joined professional aviation maintenance technicians, industry teams, and other students to compete in 27 technical challenges. Events ranged from antenna replacement to the removal of turbine blades from a jet engine — offering real-world experiences few students get to tackle before launching their careers. 

While neither team achieved top placement, they came away with something even more valuable: inspiration, knowledge, and a glimpse into their professional futures. Highlights of the trip for the Amplifi team included a tour of Southwest Airlines' world-class maintenance facility in Dallas, offering students a firsthand look at what their careers could look like in just a few short years. “We saw every single part of the maintenance operations at Southwest Airlines,” team coach Carol Valentino-Barry said. “We got to interview different mechanics and their specialties. They were kind of coaching the students through the different processes and procedures and learning as they’re working.” 

The students from WMU shared with us that their high school’s CA program prepared them well for their college experience and that they are sailing through their first year of college. They mentioned that at every new topic in their classes, they see familiar material and enjoy showing their professors how much they already know. Their former high school teacher, Clayton Melby, agrees, saying, “I believe that using Choose Aerospace was greatly beneficial for them prior to college... General is not easy... and it's way less exciting than Airframe or Powerplant but it is arguably more important. It doesn't surprise me that they have a 'leg-up' on their peers."

Special thanks go to Amplifi teacher Carol Valentino-Barry for her dedication to her students, to Southwest Airlines for sponsoring the team’s travel, to AMC for their hospitality, and to Verticon for hosting an unforgettable experience. Also, many thanks to Western Michigan University for recognizing the importance of sending students to compete and making it happen for them. 

Competition teams demonstrate the incredible power of hands-on learning and professional exposure for young aviation maintenance students. Choose Aerospace is proud to celebrate these efforts and looks forward to seeing where skill and inspiration will take these students next. 

If your Choose Aerospace program wants to know more about starting an Aviation Maintenance Council competition team or if your company wants to sponsor a team, reach out to Kelly Filgo today. [email protected] 

CA Director of Operations Kelly Filgo and Amplifi teacher Carol Valentino-Barry pose with the Amplifi student team 

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CA Executive Director Crystal Maguire, CA Director of Operations Kelly Filgo , and CA Program Manager Tarra Ruttman pose with the WMU Competition Team Students

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An Amplifi team member deep in concentration

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Two team members working on an
​antenna replacement task 

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