Liberty’s aviation maintenance team takes third place at annual competition in Atlanta

A team from Liberty University’s Aviation Maintenance Technician Program (AMTP) placed third out of 34 collegiate programs at the April 18-20 Aerospace Maintenance Competition (AMC), part of the Aviation Week Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) Americas conference in Atlanta.

Liberty finished behind Embry-Riddle University (first) and MIAT College of Technology in the school category and placed 21st out of 84 teams in the overall competition that featured representation from commercial and general aviation, space, education, military, repair, and manufacturing sectors. Competitors came from as far away as Australia, Brazil, and Canada.

Liberty’s team members are all enrolled in the School of Aeronautics’ AMTP program, which prepares them to test for their Airframe and Powerplant licenses, with a few also pursuing bachelor’s degrees.

“Overall, the students represented Liberty University, themselves, and more importantly the Lord, very well and with the utmost professionalism,” said instructor Matthew Youngs, who traveled to the competition along with fellow instructor Jake Harvey. “We are very proud of how our students carried themselves both before and while on this trip.”

Competitors entered 26 maintenance skill challenges in areas such as avionics, safety wiring, fiber optics/flight control rigging, hydraulics, jet engine troubleshooting, workplace safety management systems (SMS), and other tasks ranging from engine fan blade removal to air data testing and airframe damage inspection. Teams had 15 minutes to complete each task correctly and earned higher scores for faster times.

Liberty’s crew was composed of Joel Cihak, Joshua Schilinski, Julia Cagasan, Donald James “DJ” Albert, Ian Martin, and Jacob Gehly. Cagasan and Albert placed first in the school category for the Alaska Airlines External Power Receptacle event with Cagasan also completing the human factors exam in under four minutes with 100 percent accuracy, finishing second out of all 84 teams. She later received the Phoebe Omlie Award, which provides a $2,500 scholarship presented by AMC to be applied toward her tuition, and a Northrop Rice Foundation grant that will cover the costs of her written Airframe FAA tests.

“While announcing her awards, the providers made mention of her passion for JAARS and reaching people for Christ,” Youngs said of the missionary aviation organization that has developed a partnership with Liberty. “This was again announced on the livestream and to a room of more than 700 people.”

Schilinski won the Phoebe Omlie Award at last year’s event.

“The Aerospace Maintenance Competition is designed to showcase the incredible knowledge, skills and integrity of aircraft technicians and students,” AMC Chairman Ken MacTiernan said in a press release. “The amount of talent and level of enthusiasm on display this week leaves no doubt in my mind that the industry is in good hands moving forward.”