Trades scholarship by 67 Foundation hopes to address pressing need for aircraft mechanics

U.S. expected to need an additional 125,000 mechanics in next 20 years

Aircraft mechanics oversee the operations of various types of aircraft — jets and helicopters and everything in between — by maintaining and repairing their systems and components.

A crew of aircraft mechanics must inspect every plane in the U.S. and sign off on each protocol to make sure that every facet of its mechanics is working properly. Without these highly skilled professionals, planes cannot fly.

Workers with these skills are in short supply.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the U.S. will need an additional 125,000 aviation mechanics in the U.S. alone to keep pace with increased demand by 2042. This is nearly double the number of aviation mechanics in the U.S. today.

And the number may only increase with the expected increase in personal fleet use.

The 67 Foundation is working to do something about it.

The 67 Foundation, started ten years ago by AnnMarie McDonald of Bank of America to honor her grandparents, awards an annual scholarship to an exceptional New Jersey high school student who will pursue careers in skilled trades after graduation.

This year’s recipient, Derian Da Silva of Woodbridge Township, will use the grant to continue his education at the Aviation Institute of Maintenance in Hasbrouck Heights, where he intends to earn an airframe and powerplant license.

Want to help?

The 67 Foundation, a Woodbridge-based nonprofit that aims to provide scholarships for those interested in careers in the trades, welcomes support. Contact AnnMarie McDonald at fo@the67foundation.org or go here for more information.

Da Silvia said he wants to work as an aircraft technician at a major airline, just like his father, Paul Da Silva.

“I feel so privileged that I can continue the legacy of this inseparable duo,” Derian Da Silva said. “This award will go a very long way in my quest to follow my father’s footsteps and becoming an aircraft technician.

“It makes my life dream one step closer to becoming reality.”

Paul Da Silva was overwhelmed with emotion when he heard his son had won the grant. “I knew Derian deserved this award due to his hard work and studies, but it was special for him to be recognized and rewarded the way he was,” he said.

The 67 Foundation was inspired by Woodbridge couple Michael and Olympia DeNittis, childhood sweethearts whose 90-year love story touched hearts around the world. They passed away 32 hours apart after a 67-year marriage, just before Valentine’s Day in 2014.

Derian Da Silva. (Courtesy photo)

AnnMarie McDonald said she received an outpouring of letters and messages from people as far away as Australia and Europe. Many online comments pointed out that their blue-collar occupations allowed them to achieve financial stability in the post-World War II economy, she said.

Since those same roles are in high demand today, she started a foundation to help those pursuing those careers.

“Many high school students plan to attend 4-year liberal arts colleges after graduation, and there’s nothing wrong with that – I was one of them,” McDonald said. “But this scholarship is for students choosing to work with their hands, filling roles that are vital to our economy and day-to-day lives.

“We look for students with a strong work ethic and a desire to pay it forward. It’s not necessarily reflected in their GPA. Soft skills like getting to school on time, volunteering and a sense of what they want their future to look like are all ways to demonstrate it.”

The Foundation has awarded nearly $10,000 in scholarships to date.