The city of Pueblo, Colo., has announced additional programs to transform the Pueblo Memorial Airport and adjacent Industrial Park into a flight and aviation maintenance educational complex. Among recent developments, Doss Aviation, headquartered in Colorado Springs, has been awarded an Air Force contract to provide annual flight screening for between 1,300 and 1,700 students, who will live and train at a facility at Pueblo’s airport.

Additionally, Pueblo Community College is now operating aviation maintenance and flight instruction programs at the airport’s Aviation Technology Center, complementing the college’s newly inaugurated aerospace manufacturing educational program. The center provides flight instruction, an aviation maintenance program and interior modification and refurbishment training. Its sister facility, the Gorsich Advanced Technology Center, on the college’s main campus, specializes in technical courses geared to the aerospace industry.

The city expects the presence of the aviation programs at the airport to attract aviation-related businesses. Cooperative working relationships already established between the school, the city of Pueblo, Colorado Northwestern Community College and local private businesses should facilitate the anticipated expansion.

Airport infrastructure developments are also laying down the welcome tarmac. The airport recently announced completion of a 22,500-sq-ft hangar with 4,000 sq ft of attached office space. This is the first structure in phase one of a three-phase development program for 16 custom sites. The project includes new ramp space, taxiways and utilities. All sites have taxiway access to the airport’s runways.