Duncan Aviation Announces Endowment Fund for Aviation Scholarship with Western Michigan University

Justin Hughes, an airframe technician with Duncan Aviation’s Airframe Department in Battle Creek, was the scholarship recipient for the 2018-2019 school year. In January 2019, he was hired on full-time. Click image for high-res download.

LINCOLN, NEB— Duncan Aviation is pleased to announce that the Duncan Family Trust has gifted $56,000 to Western Michigan University for the ongoing annual award of a Duncan Aviation Maintenance Scholarship.

With this endowment gift, WMU will make available an annual scholarship of up to $2,500 for a student enrolled in the university’s four-year aviation maintenance program. In addition to receiving the scholarship, the chosen student will participate in a paid internship program at Duncan Aviation’s full-service Battle Creek, Michigan, Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) location. 

“Given the workforce issues that plague business and commercial aviation, we believe it is vital to maintain a strong relationship with Western Michigan University and its students,” says Andy Richards, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Duncan Aviation’s Michigan location. “We have had excellent luck in the past with this scholarship, and decided it would make sense to set up the funds for a long-term endowed award program. We have long advised WMU on curriculum development and many graduates of their program have become excellent Duncan Aviation team members.” 

Justin Hughes, an airframe technician with Duncan Aviation’s Airframe Department in Battle Creek, was the scholarship recipient for the 2018-2019 school year. He started working for Duncan Aviation as an intern in May 2017 and was hired part-time while he finished school. In January 2019, he was hired on full-time.

“The scholarship award and Duncan Aviation internship gave me the opportunity to take what I learned at the College of Aviation and apply it directly to the workplace,” Hughes says. “I am grateful for the long-lasting relationship between the WMU College of Aviation and Duncan Aviation as it gives students like me an opportunity to learn and develop professionally.”

The College of Aviation at Western Michigan University offers a comprehensive aviation program and enrolls nearly 1,000 undergraduate students. Backed by 80 years of aviation experience and an excellent industry reputation, the college is a powerful force in the future of aviation training.

WMU students interested in applying for the WMU Duncan Aviation Maintenance Scholarship should visit: https://wmich.edu/aviation/scholarships/internal.

Duncan Aviation regularly attends recruiting events. The current schedule includes the career fairs and campus visits that follow:

• April 16, 2019, Metro Technology Aviation Campus, Oklahoma City, OK
• April 17, 2019, Spartan College, Tulsa, OK

To see the dynamic listing of the career events Duncan Aviation will participate in, visit this page: www.DuncanAviation.aero/careers/students

To learn more about a career with Duncan Aviation, visit www.DuncanAviation.aero/careers.

About Duncan Aviation

Duncan Aviation is an aircraft service provider supporting the aviation needs of business aircraft operators, government agencies, and other aircraft service providers. Services include major and minor airframe inspections, engine maintenance, major retrofits for cabin and cockpit avionics systems, full paint and interior services, engineering and certification services, fabrication and manufacturing services, and preowned aircraft sales and acquisitions. Duncan Aviation also has international aircraft components solutions experts available 24/7/365 at +1 402.475.4125 who can handle any aircraft system problem with immediate exchanges, rotables, loaners or avionics/instrument/accessory repairs and overhauls. Complete service facilities are located in Battle Creek, Michigan; Lincoln, Nebraska; and Provo, Utah. We also have dozens of other facilities strategically located throughout the United States to provide customers with scheduled regional support and the quickest response possible to avionics, engine and airframe Aircraft On Ground (AOG) situations.

For more information about any of Duncan Aviation’s services, call +1 402.475.2611 or visit https://www.DuncanAviation.aero/services