Originally founded in Pittsburgh, PA, in 1929, PIA has offered industry-leading aviation training for nearly a century. As the organization’s newest campus, PIA Myrtle Beach first opened its doors in January 2012 in the same building that once housed the avionics facilities for the Myrtle Beach Air Force Base. This powerful connection to aviation history gives PIA grads the unique honor of literally following in the footsteps of prior generations of some of America’s greatest aeronautics specialists.
PIA Myrtle Beach is proud to serve as the training ground for the next generation of aviation maintenance technicians, or AMTs, who are responsible for making sure every plane and helicopter in the country is ready to fly safely. In 2020, PIA Myrtle Beach was named an ACCSC School of Distinction, marking its rapid development as a trusted provider of career-focused training for hands-on learners, creative problem-solvers, and lifelong lovers of the science and wonder of aviation.
Closing the AMT Gap
With 1 in 3 current AMTs in the US nearing retirement age and a nationwide shortage of fresh talent entering this vital career field, the demand for new AMTs has never been greater. As a result, the Bureau of Labor and Statistics projects over 13,000 annual job openings for aviation maintenance and avionics positions over the next decade.
PIA Myrtle Beach offers a 16-month AMT training program over four terms, which prepares students for the FAA Airframe and Powerplant Certification Exams that are a prerequisite for working on aircraft in the United States. By learning to inspect, repair, and maintain aircraft, AMTs learn a specialized skillset that is applicable across a wide diversity of career fields including commercial aviation, corporate aviation, military, medical transport, cargo, drones, MRO, aircraft manufacturing, and aerospace.
With an average student-teacher ratio of 15:1, PIA Myrtle Beach offers the personalized attention of small class sizes, which has resulted in a nearly 90% job placement rate for PIA grads.
One-of-a-Kind Training Opportunities
PIA’s Myrtle Beach Campus is located near the International Technology and Aerospace Park and adjacent to South Carolina’s Myrtle Beach International Airport.
Decommissioned and closed in 1993, the former air force base has been revitalized by the efforts of retired Air Force Colonel Buddy Styers and the Myrtle Beach Air Force Base Redevelopment Authority. The 3,936-acre property has transformed into a thriving community of homes, parks, and sporting facilities, as well as the Myrtle Beach International Airport and PIA Myrtle Beach. Thanks to ongoing support from the redevelopment authority, PIA’s historic campus will continue to grow and upgrade as the region evolves.
The school consists of 37,000 square feet of training area including classrooms, a computer lab, and shop areas for aircraft propulsion systems, electricity, sheet metal, hydraulics, instruments & controls, composite materials, non-destructive testing, and painting.
PIA Myrtle Beach students gain the advantage of hands-on training with several notable, decommissioned aircraft. These include a 2008 King Air B300 twin-turbo prop, formerly used by the U.S. Special Operations Command for surveillance, intelligence, and reconnaissance missions, and a Bell 206 helicopter that served the U.S. Navy for pilot training. Additional donations to the campus feature a TFE731-3 turbine engine from Standard Aero, as well as a vintage Beechcraft Twin Bonanza D50 which was flown around the world by a husband-and-wife duo of amateur aviators before being donated to PIA.
Trusted Partnerships with Regional Employers
Employers in the southeastern US that attract PIA Myrtle Beach grads include Boeing, Stevens Aerospace, PSA Airlines, Embraer, Gulfstream Aerospace, HAECO Americas, Standard Aero, Precision Air, and Textron Aviation.
“An education is something that no one can ever takeaway from you. What our students learn at PIA,whether in the classroom or in the shop, prepares themfor an exciting career in aviation.”
Michael Basara, PIA Myrtle Beach Campus Director
