Penn College Magazine Fall 2018

A pair of shoes belongs to a student in the cockpit. It’s typical practice to leave footwear outside of multimillion-dollar jets to protect the interior, which often features leather seats and plush carpet. In industry, technicians also wear “booties” over their boots. In addition to aircraft parked in the hangar, the college fleet includes a retired Boeing 727-200F cargo plane (parked outside).

Hailing from Rochester, New York, Adam G. Lembaris worked on Harrier jets in the Marine Corps. (He and his brother joined the corps together.) After five years of service, Lembaris searched online for aviation schools near his home city and visited Penn College first. “I came here, did the tour, everyone was friendly, and I didn’t look anywhere else,” he said. Enrolled in aviation maintenance technology, Lembaris is vice president of the college’s chapter of Omega Delta Sigma, a national veterans fraternity.

With a hydraulic power unit connected to the aircraft, students and faculty complete a landing gear retraction test on a twin-engine Dassault Falcon 20 business jet. Instructor Michael R. Robison, a member of the U.S. Soaring Team, competed at the World Gliding Championships in the Czech Republic in July.

Jean-Luc Keller received his first name due to his parents’ appreciation for “Star Trek” (and fictional Starfleet captain Jean-Luc Picard). Keller is a Blackhawk mechanic in the Army National Guard. “I figured I’d pursue a career similar to that. It’s something I’m good at,” he said. An aviation maintenance technology student from Wellsboro, Keller reports to Fort Indiantown Gap once a month for duty.

Bill F. Stepp III, associate professor of aviation, bought a wrecked Cessna aircraft in 1993 and restored it. The plane took flight again in 2000, and a year later, Stepp used it to obtain his private pilot license. Formerly an aircraft mechanic in the U.S. Navy, he earned bachelor’s and postgraduate degrees, as well as various aviation-related certifications, including Designated Mechanic Examiner. (There are fewer than 300 DMEs in the world.) His son is also a member of the college’s aviation faculty.

“I’ve always enjoyed taking things apart, putting them back together and making things work,” said Thomas G. Urban, of Stockholm, New Jersey, an aviation maintenance technician student. “I thought aviation would be a good challenge. It’s cool stuff.” With the ability to earn a degree and his Airframe and Powerplant certification, he added, “I thought Penn College would be a good choice.” Growing up in an area of New Jersey that’s surrounded by state parks, Urban says he’s enjoying the natural resources of central Pennsylvania. “There’s some nice trails to go hiking here,” he said. Urban hopes to “work on smaller, privately owned aircraft somewhere close to New York City.”