Miami Aviation School Gets An MD-80 For Student Programs | Aero-News Network
Aero-News Network
RSS icon RSS feed
podcast icon MP3 podcast
Subscribe Aero-News e-mail Newsletter Subscribe

Airborne Unlimited -- Most Recent Daily Episodes

Episode Date

Airborne-Monday

Airborne-Tuesday

Airborne-Wednesday Airborne-Thursday

Airborne-Friday

Airborne On YouTube

Airborne-Unlimited-07.07.25

Airborne-NextGen-07.08.25

AirborneUnlimited-07.09.25

Airborne-FlightTraining-07.10.25

AirborneUnlimited-07.11.25

Mon, May 24, 2010

Miami Aviation School Gets An MD-80 For Student Programs

But Moving The Airplane Across The Street Was A Major Undertaking

American Airlines donated a retired MD-80 jet to George T. Baker Aviation School Friday, making it one of the only accredited aviation schools in the country to have a commercial airliner on school grounds.

But there was a slight problem. The 39-ton plane had to be moved from Miami International Airport (MIA) to the nearby Aviation School. The job required lifting the plane over State Road 112 and LeJeune Road, using a 500-ton crane equipped with a 400-foot telescoping boom, and then hauling the plane to the school.

"Moving the airplane was truly an engineering feat, requiring extensive collaboration between American, Odebrecht and almost a dozen companies and government agencies," said Peter Dolara, American's Senior Vice President based in Miami. "It was a tough job, but we couldn't be more thrilled for the students at George T. Baker, who will get invaluable hands-on experience with a commercial aircraft."

The move took place around 0100 Friday. Miami-Dade County and airport officials had to close a runway and surrounding roads, remove light poles, trees, and fencing, as well as build a temporary gravel road to transport the plane to the school, located adjacent to MIA.

"This is the kind of challenging project we eagerly meet head-on," said Gilberto Neves, President and CEO of Odebrecht USA. "You can't just fly an MD-80 into a school parking lot. It takes a lot of planning and careful execution."


File Photo

The students at George T. Baker have already gained experience with the MD-80, prepping it for the move by taking off the wing tips and jet engines.

"Here at George T. Baker Aviation School, we pride ourselves on graduating students that are ready to excel in the aviation industry from day one," said Principal Sean Gallagan. "Thanks to this incredible donation from American Airlines, I can say with confidence that our students are getting some of the best training in the country."

American is gradually phasing out its MD-80 series for more fuel-efficient aircraft such as the Boeing 737-800.

FMI: www.bakeraviation.edu, www.aa.com

Advertisement

More News

NTSB Final Report: Aviat A1

Airplane Bounced About 3 Ft Then Touched Back Down And Then, With No Brakes Applied, The Airplane Began Veering To The Left Analysis: The pilot entered the airport traffic pattern >[...]

ANN's Daily Aero-Linx (07.08.25)

Aero Linx: British Microlight Aircraft Association (BMAA) The primary focus within all aviation activity is SAFETY. In all aspects of our sport SAFETY must come first, whether it b>[...]

Classic Aero-TV: Fly Corvair’s Reliable Engine Alternative

From SnF25 (YouTube Edition): William Wynne Builds Practical Aircraft Engines on the Corvair Platform Seeking an affordable alternative to the traditional aircraft engine options, >[...]

ANN FAQ: Contributing To Aero-TV

How To Get A Story On Aero-TV News/Feature Programming How do I submit a story idea or lead to Aero-TV? If you would like to submit a story idea or lead, please contact Jim Campbel>[...]

Classic Aero-TV: CiES Fuel-Quantity and e-Throttle Systems Praised

From 2023 (YouTube Edition): Bridge of CiES CiES Inc. is a Bend, Oregon-based designer and manufacturer of modular embedded aircraft systems and sensors. The company’s fuel-l>[...]

blog comments powered by Disqus



Advertisement

Advertisement

Podcasts

Advertisement

© 2007 - 2025 Web Development & Design by Pauli Systems, LC