Piedmont Airlines Donates Passenger Aircraft to University of Maryland Eastern Shore

Gift boosts UMES’ new Aviation Maintenance Technician School.

Zach Vasile

Thursday, September 18, 2025 at 02:00 PM ET

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Edited By:

Travis Tingle

A Piedmont Airlines E145 [Credit: Piedmont Airlines]

Key Takeaways:

Piedmont Airlines donated a fully functional Embraer E145 aircraft and two Rolls-Royce jet engines to the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES).
The donation supports UMES's new Part 147-certified Aviation Maintenance Technician School, providing students with critical hands-on training and real-world tools.
Piedmont actively helped shape the school's curriculum and aims to foster a skilled and diverse aviation maintenance workforce, leveraging UMES's status as one of few HBCUs with an FAA-certified airframe and powerplant program.

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Piedmont Airlines this week donated one of its aircraft and engines to the University of Maryland Eastern Shore to support the launch of its Part 147-certified Aviation Maintenance Technician School.

The regional carrier, which is owned by American Airlines, said it gave the university an Embraer E145 and two Rolls-Royce static turbofan jet engines. The airplane is fully functional, the airline said, and will give students hands-on experience as part of their training.