Danville aviation training facility receives federal funding to develop workforce

Danville has received a $4.1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Commerce to build a new aviation training facility at Danville Regional Airport. The 12,532-square-foot facility will be used by students at Averett University and Danville Community College.

The new facility is meant to support aviation workforce development in the area, according to a news release from the Commerce Department’s Economic Development Administration, which provided the award.

This grant will allow the city to continue its work with the two schools to construct a “much-needed aviation maintenance training facility at our airport,” Ken Larking, Danville’s city manager, said in an email.

“This project will create jobs and create additional economic opportunities for people who live in our region,” Larking said.

The investment will also “play a pivotal role in enhancing community infrastructure and building a skilled workforce,” Gov. Glenn Youngkin said in the EDA release.

The grant will be matched with $2.7 million in local funds, the release said.

Averett University students will use the facility for flight instruction activities provided by the school, which is the fixed-base operator for the airport and provides aviation services like fueling and maintenance.

The university officially became the airport’s FBO in 2021, after having a presence there for 40 years and operating its aeronautics program out of the George J. Falk Flight Operations Center next door to the main terminal, where the FBO is located.

Danville Community College students would use the facility to offer aviation maintenance training, following approval from the Federal Aviation Administration to do so, according to the city.

If approved, DCC would be only the second organization in Virginia to offer a public aviation maintenance training school. The other is the Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport.

“The aviation maintenance training program will generate a local workforce that will support employment objectives for aviation business,” according to a project description on the city’s website.

This training program could generate high-paying jobs for people in the city and also supports the growth of Averett’s aeronautics program, the description said.

There are 120 students enrolled in the aeronautics school, which involves classroom training on Averett’s campus and at the airport.

“This project would allow for all aviation flight training activities to occur under one roof, which is expected to further enhance enrollment and airport development,” the description said.

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