Aviation Enthusiast Tour American Airlines Maintenance Facility For National Aviation Day

The Tulsa International Airport is giving an inside look at the American Airlines maintenance facility as part of National Aviation Day. 

Visitors got to check out the facility as crews worked to fix different parts and engines on all types of planes. 

"Aviation is our second largest industry here in Tulsa and it's something that's deeply rooted in our foundation," said Andrew Pierini with the Tulsa International Airport. 

As part of National Aviation Day, the airport invited those interested in aviation to tour the facility as crews worked to fix engines and different parts of the planes. Grace Cowherd and Dana Friend are studying to work in aviation at Oklahoma State and they say this was an amazing opportunity to take what they've learned in the classroom, and see it in action. 

"Seeing the plane stripped of all of the seats and everything that we walk into when we are taking a commercial flight, made me realize how spacious the plane really is and was really cool because it's something we can learn beyond the classroom," Dana said. 

Grace and Dana say they loved getting a behind-the-scenes look at the airport operations and inside the facility. Grace says one of the coolest things was seeing a plane up close she hopes to fly one day. 

"Seeing it in person as opposed to on a board or on a screen, it's just so much different and seeing all of those and how big they are, and seeing them pulled apart and how the pieces work, it was so cool," she said. 

The two say they are now more determined to become pilots and work in aviation, so they can pass the knowledge they learned today, onto others, especially young women. 

"The representation is so important because a lot of us don't know it's something that we can do," Grace said.