Lenoir Community College cut the ribbon Tuesday on the Senator Jim Perry Aviation Center for Excellence at the North Carolina Global TransPark in Kinston, unveiling a new training hub that local leaders say is built to launch students into aviation, aerospace and advanced-manufacturing careers. Named for the longtime state senator and former LCC trustee, the center is pitched as a homegrown pathway to high-wage technical jobs across eastern North Carolina.
What's inside the new center
The 57,024-square-foot facility includes traditional classrooms alongside maintenance labs and a 13,268-square-foot heated aircraft hangar, and will house degree programs in Aviation Management & Career Pilot Technology and Aviation Systems Technology as well as short-term training tailored to industry needs, according to Lenoir Community College. College officials say the hands-on setup is built for everything from engine and sheet-metal labs to flight simulators and machining bays, so students are not just reading manuals, they are wrench in hand.
High-school pipelines and university partnerships
LCC has also rolled out an ACE Academy that will let high-school juniors and seniors start earning college credentials through the Career and College Promise program while they work through aviation coursework. “It represents what can happen when communities choose to invest in our people,” LCC President Rusty Hunt said, and Sen. Jim Perry called the building “a home of future innovation” for the next wave of pilots and mechanics, as reported by Neuse News.
Why this matters for eastern North Carolina jobs
The center opens as the Global TransPark ramps up aerospace and defense activity, including a recent 10-year Navy agreement that state officials say will bring more than 400 jobs to the park. Governor Josh Stein said the deal will “bring economic prosperity to eastern North Carolina,” and economic-development leaders point to the TransPark as a growing hub for maintenance, repair and overhaul work, per the North Carolina Global TransPark.
Local leaders, tours and next steps
Speakers at the ribbon-cutting included LCC President Dr. Rusty Hunt, TransPark board chair Tom Hendrickson, Sen. Jim Perry and N.C. Transportation Secretary Daniel Johnson, with Gov. Josh Stein appearing via video remarks, according to Neuse News. The event wrapped with tours of the new hangar and labs, and LCC notes that coursework is still being held at its Aerospace and Advanced Manufacturing Center while ACE moves toward full operation, per Lenoir Community College. Earlier this month, Congressman Greg Murphy toured the TransPark and highlighted the site’s potential for future jobs, as reported by WITN.
Local and state leaders framed the new aviation center as a long-term investment in eastern North Carolina’s workforce that could help keep students and skilled workers rooted in the region instead of chasing jobs elsewhere. Enrollment timelines and short-course schedules are expected to appear on college and TransPark websites as the facility comes fully online.
