A New Day Everyday

When a coworker suggested Alex Hathaway look into aircraft maintenance programs, he took a leap of faith: “My second time on the Hagerstown campus, Mr. Adams, the Campus Director, remembered me and my name, and it totally caught me off guard. I thought, ‘If this is the guy who is portraying the overall mission of this campus, then this is where I want to be.’”

After graduating from PIA, Hathaway became a line maintenance technician at BWI Airport in Baltimore. It’s a fast-paced job that includes service checks on hydraulic systems, brake pressure, oil, tires, emergency equipment, and everything else that makes a plane safe to fly.

“I learn something new every day, and I don’t see that changing — it’s all fun and challenging,” said Hathaway. “And the joy is, because I do line maintenance, it’s not for a specific airline, so I get to see everything. I could go from an Airbus to a corporate or private jet. It makes it a lot easier to come to work not knowing what you’re going to get into that day.”