“FloridaWest has been our partner for many years, connecting us with industry partners and helping us grow.”
King Aero Management, Pensacola supplier and repairer of aircraft turboprop engine parts, has a unique connection to the George Stone Technical College. The two have been working together for several years to help build the future of aviation mechanic jobs in the area. The relationship culminated recently as King Aero delivered a specially designed demo aircraft turboprop engine with cutaways so students can see firsthand how these engines operate.
King Aero, which was founded in the 60s, quickly discovered a niche market for parts and repair of the Rolls‐Royce T56/501D jet engines, commonly found in the Lockheed C-130 Hercules. They now occupy 34,000 square feet of space behind the new Baptist Hospital. Chris Walls, president of King Aero, said their ongoing relationship with George Stone has helped him gain valuable team members while they give back to the school through demonstrations, visits and now providing a demo engine one of his team members built from spare parts.
“We’re a third-generation company in this engine market,” said Walls. “My grandparents started the company back in the early 60s capitalizing on the need for repairs and parts for this particular engine. Fast forward and as a result of our relationship with George Stone, we hired students Sean Rader and Will Keethler, who have been with us since 2017. Sean put in the extra work on the demo engine and we’re so excited to be able to get it into the hands of those students.”
The initial work for starting the Aviation Maintenance Technology program at George Stone Technical College began in 2014 and the first class was held in 2017. The program has been growing ever since under the watchful eye of the Aviation Mechanics instructor, Bill Davis. Davis, an Air Force veteran who spent 35 years with the Hurricane Hunters in engine maintenance said their partnership with King Aero is a huge benefit for his students.
“In class, when you start talking about how air moves or the physics of air movement, and talking about how it moves through each stage of this engine, it’s hard to for students to visualize what I’m describing,” said Davis. “I can explain it to them on the board all day long, but they can’t really grasp it until they can physically put their hands on it. With this demo engine, I’ll be able to show them a real example that they get their hands on — it gives them a whole different perspective.”
Former student and King Aero employee Sean Rader said there were a lot of blood, sweat and tears in fabricating the engine.
“It was a lot of work but feels good to give back to the school that got me to where I’m at in the first place,” said Rader. “Just being able to be a part of helping their program grow is very fulfilling.”
Walls said over the years, FloridaWest has helped King Aero get to where they are today.
“FloridaWest has been our partner for many years, connecting us with industry partners and helping us grow,” said Walls. “And I know they’ll be right there with us as we grow. With George Stone, we’ve talked about enhancing our partnership in the future as King Aero grows so we can provide more opportunities and help give the students a better visual, practical understanding of what’s going on in the aviation maintenance world.”
FloridaWest CEO Chris Platé said King Aero is a perfect example of a business proactively planning for the future.
“We’ve been working with King Aero for many years — their vision of supporting education and giving back is directly helping them grow as they help create quality talent right here at home,” said Platé. “What they’re doing with George Stone is so important to the future of aviation maintenance in our region and just a start of what they have planned for the future.”
