At a glance
Electrical construction and maintenance electrician students to work over winter break at Olean, NY airport.
When the lights come on at the Cattaraugus County-Olean Municipal Airport’s new T-hangar building for the first time, people will have two Alfred State students to thank.
Since Nov. 17, electrical construction and maintenance electrician majors Alex Ortiz, of Richburg, and Kevin Morsman, of Bolivar, have been working at the facility, located at 5420 Hatch Hill Road in Ischua. David Kahm, city electrician for Olean, said the students’ efforts have included installing conduit, wires, and light fixtures in each T-hangar bay, and installing receptacles for the overhead doors.
“Both Alex and Kevin have done a great job on this project,” Kahm said. “I am pleased with their work ethic, attention to detail, and willingness to learn the electrical trade.”
The purpose of the building is to create more storage for airplanes, according to Kahm, who said the total cost of the new T-hangar is $700,000 and the electrical cost is around $90,000. A T-hangar is “basically a garage for airplanes,” he said.
“It’s called a T-hangar because the shape of each bay looks like a ‘T’ in order to properly fit an airplane inside,” he said.
Morsman and Ortiz will continue to contribute their time and talents to the project until Jan. 23, just three days before classes start for the beginning of the spring 2015 semester.