MAVA Colleagues,
Westfield Technical Academy instructor Galen Wilson was awarded the Bradley district’s Aviation Maintenance Technician of the Year by the Federal Aviation Administration Safety Team for his “technical expertise” and “lasting impact on students, schools and the aviation community itself.”
MAVA extends its congratulations to Galen on his incredible work and dedication.
David
Wilson awarded district Aviation Maintenance Technician of the Year
- Published: Mar. 07, 2026, 6:00 a.m.
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<![endif]>Daniel Lucia (left), the FAA Safety Team program manager in Enfield, awards Westfield Technical Academy instructor Galen Wilson (right) with the Bradley district’s Aviation Maintenance Technician of the Year award on March 5 at Westfield-Barnes Regional Airport. (RYAN FEYRE/WESTFIELD NEWS)Ryan Feyre
WESTFIELD — A jubilant atmosphere glided through Hangar 2 of Westfield-Barnes Regional Airport on Thursday as Galen Wilson was honored for his immense role in growing the local aviation community.
A little over 10 years after jumpstarting the Aviation Maintenance Technology program at Westfield Technical Academy, Wilson was chosen as the Bradley district’s Aviation Maintenance Technician of the Year by the Federal Aviation Administration Safety Team for his “technical expertise” and “lasting impact on students, schools and the aviation community itself.”
He was chosen for the award by the Board of Directors of the General Aviation Program.
“I’m truly honored,” Wilson said in an interview with The Westfield News following the March 5 ceremony. “When I think of the award, it’s got my name on it, but it applies to everybody. It applies to the Westfield Technical Academy, it applies to the administration, the students [and] people that support it.”
Wilson started the WTA program in 2015, developing a rigorous four-year curriculum from the ground up that included project-based exercises, hands-on laboratories, and instructional quizzes that prepared students for the expectations of the aviation maintenance world.
The following year, WTA earned its “airframe” rating—which teaches everything about fuselage, the wings and tail section—and became the only high school in New England at the time to offer students the opportunity to graduate qualified to test to become aircraft mechanics.
Thanks to Wilson’s efforts, the school reached another milestone in 2024 when the FAA certified WTA to teach powerplant, or aircraft engine repair, thereby making WTA a full airframe and powerplant FAA-certified program.
“We’re the only one that’s ‘A&P’ in New England,” Wilson said. “We’re one of a kind.”
Aside from spearheading WTA’s aviation program, Wilson also heavily contributed to the airframe certification of Franklin County Technical School, which earned its airframe rating last month, according to Daniel Lucia, the FAA Safety Team program manager in Enfield who nominated Wilson for the award. The school became only the second in New England to have this kind of certification. Wilson said that the program features hundreds of pages of curriculum that he wrote up himself.
This year at WTA, 11 students are set to graduate with the authorization to test for both “airframe” and “powerplant” ratings after 13 graduated in 2025. According to Lucia, nearly 100 students will now have graduated from WTA’s aviation program since it was first conceived a decade ago.
Because the WTA program emulates a two-year college program, Wilson said that when students graduate, they can bring up to 69 college credits to some universities. He also shared that students can go directly into the industry as a licensed FAA technician to work in airplanes immediately after graduating from the program.
Many were in attendance to celebrate Wilson’s achievement, including Westfield Public Schools Superintendent Stefan Czaporowski, Mayor Michael McCabe, state Rep. Kelly Pease, a representative from state Sen. John Velis’ office and Wilson’s students and family. All of the elected officials presented some kind of certificate to Wilson.
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<![endif]>In his remarks during the ceremony, Czaporowski highlighted Wilson’s innate teaching ability, which was evident right after he was interviewed for the instructor position decades ago. Czaporowski said immediately after meeting Wilson, the interview team wanted to give him the job right on the spot.
“Sometimes you’re just born to teach,” Czaporowski said. “We couldn’t be any more proud to have Galen. It has been, and I hope continues to be, a pleasure to work with you as we move forward.”
Before serving as an instructor and department chair for the aviation program at WTA, Wilson was a chief master sergeant in the military for almost three decades. He was recently named one of eight finalists for National Aviation Maintenance Technician of the Year. The winner will be announced in a few weeks.
Wilson was also awarded Aviation Maintenance Educator of the Year in 2019.
Chapter 74 Vocational Technical & Agricultural Education
LEARNING THAT WORKS FOR MASSACHUSETTS
David J. Ferreira
MAVA Communications Coordinator
DavidFerreira