Female aviation mechanics are rare, but the two on K-State at Salina's faculty are award-winning

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Sources: Rebecca Armstrong, 785-826-2978, rarmstr@salina.k-state.edu;
and Raylene Alexander, 785-826-2978, raylene@k-state.edu
News release prepared by: Katie Mayes, 785-826-2642, kmayes@salina.k-state.edu

Monday, February 5, 2007

FEMALE AVIATION MECHANICS ARE RARE, BUT THE TWO ON K-STATE AT SALINA'S FACULTY ARE AWARD-WINNING

SALINA -- Rebecca Armstrong and Raylene Alexander, the only two female aircraft mechanics on Kansas State University at Salina's aviation maintenance faculty, are being recognized for their work.

The Association for Women in Aviation Maintenance has named Armstrong the recipient of the Mary Ann Eiff -- Teacher of the Year Award, and has awarded Alexander two scholarships to help her design new curriculum for K-State at Salina's aviation department.

"There are few women who enter the field of aviation maintenance, yet women make very good mechanics," said Armstrong, who joined K-State in 2005. "Most people do not realize that women are in this field. Many women do not even consider it a possible career."

Marlon Johnston, head of K-State at Salina's aviation department, nominated Armstrong for the Mary Ann Eiff Teacher of the Year Award, which is named for the first recipient of the honor.

"Professor Armstrong is the first woman to join the aviation maintenance faculty at K-State and she has had an immediate impact mentoring women in both our aviation maintenance and professional pilot degree programs," Johnston wrote as part of the nomination. "Rebecca's personal philosophy of treating each person with respect, making the tasks at hand as fun as possible and insisting upon inclusion of every student in the learning process brings our individualistic students together as a team of proactive learners."

Alexander was the second woman to join K-State at Salina's aviation maintenance faculty. This is her first year teaching at K-State.

With her scholarships, Alexander plans to take JetBlue's Embraer E190 general familiarization course and either Southwest Airlines' avionics or principles of troubleshooting course. Alexander said that the courses will give her a greater breadth of knowledge and should help her to develop avionics certificate programs for aviation mechanics and engineering technologists. The new avionics curriculum will be introduced at K-State at Salina in the fall.

Both Armstrong and Alexander will be formally recognized at the Association of Women in Aviation Maintenance Awards Breakfast Saturday, Feb. 17. The event is part of the conference of the Women In Aviation, International in Orlando, Fla., Feb. 15-17.

The Association of Women in Aviation Maintenance was formed to "champion women's professional growth and enrichment in the aviation maintenance fields." Its membership is international.