FEAM Aero is growing its vision of a self-sustaining MRO ecosystem in Cincinnati with the development of several new facilities and capabilities. The growth will entail a larger facility to accommodate increasing demand on cargo aircraft, a new Part 147 school filter technicians to the facility and infrastructure developments in the advanced air mobility space to position FEAM as a leader in the emerging segment.

The independent MRO broke ground on a second, larger hangar facility at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) in November 2022. The $40.2 million hangar will be 50,000 ft.² larger than its existing 100,000 ft.² hangar at the site, enabling maintenance on even more aircraft types from three dedicated maintenance bays. It expects the completed hangar to begin operations in 2024, and it plans to add 250 jobs there between late 2023-25 as it rolls out full capacity.

To begin feeding the labor pipeline, FEAM is tapping its partnership with Epic Flight Academy, which launched in early 2022. In September 2022 the companies told Aviation Week they were working to develop an aircraft mechanic training program at CVG, modeled after the Aircraft Mechanic School Epic launched in 2020 in New Smyrna Beach, Florida.

The companies broke ground on the school April 17 with the goal of completing the facility in 2024. Cam Murphy, president of FEAM, says the hope is to start some classes this year. When Aviation Week spoke with Josh Rawlins, chief operating officer of Epic Flight Academy, last September, he noted that the plan was to move forward with a temporary modular classroom while the school was being built. However, official communications about the school note that the first class is expected to be enrolled in spring 2024.

As part of the partnership, FEAM will be giving out scholarships to local students to help build the community workforce. One potential workforce pool to target, according to Murphy, oculd be warehouse workers at CVG’s robust logistics hubs, such as those operated by Amazon and DHL. “We want to provide the opportunity for them to get into the aviation industry, increase their pay and not have to move at all,” he says.

Murphy hopes the scholarships will also help FEAM’s goals of diversifying the industry and increasing the overall workforce pipeline. “Our goal Is to help the school not only grow, but help them from the standpoint of giving them access to our hangar, facilities and our customers, so that when students are graduating, they’re ready to go and actually have real-world experience,” he says.

One development at FEAM that could entice new workforce is its plan to break into the electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) segment. Murphy says FEAM has been in talks with eVTOL developers to position itself as a leader in the space. Considering CVG’s status as a cargo hub and various OEM plans to develop eVTOLs to carry cargo, the move is a logical next step for FEAM. It is installing charging infrastructure for eVTOLs at the new CVG hangar facility, and it plans to incorporate advanced air mobility-related curriculum into the new aircraft mechanic school once OEMs are ready for game time with FAA approval and maintenance manuals.