Aviation, Broncos, and Cars – Brayden Broad’s Aviation Maintenance Career is Set to Go Far!
Field trips and family treks to interesting places make significant impressions on young minds. Just ask Brayden Broad, a freshman in the WMU College of Aviation majoring in aviation technical operations.
"Ever since my dad took me to the EAA AirVenture (the fabled international gathering of aviation enthusiasts from around the world) as a toddler," says the 2023 graduate of Alpena High School, "I've had a huge passion for aviation. He got me involved in the local EAA chapter as well, an opportunity that has taught me a lot and introduced me to some really cool people.
The thrill of Oshkosh and what Broad witnessed there has stayed with him. What hasn't is the fact that, on the way to Wisconsin from the family residence in the Lake Huron shoreline town of Alpena in 2018, their motorhome ran over an entire tree. That's not in his recollections today, but the magic of AirVenture still is.
It was the power of that experience that channeled Broad toward his career choice because Alpena High didn't offer any aviation-related courses, although its dual-enrollment program did give him the opportunity to complete college-level classes in calculus and speech.
While he believes that other aviation programs could "teach me what I want to learn," Broad says, "I feel I have the best chance to go where I want to go" when he completes Western's highly reputable curriculum. He says he took a gander at what other schools offered "numerous times, especially for the sake of cost. But the price is worth it, not just for the education but also for the connections you can make through Western."
Factors in that "worth," he says, are "the people, the really nice campus, the classes, the ratio of faculty-to-students, and the list goes on." The technical courses are right on target, such as instructor Brian Jansen's electrical lab and how he makes the subject material enjoyable -- and much more than just math. Because the aviation college is part of a comprehensive university, he can sample all kinds of disciplines to round out his education. His favorite example is a course that focuses on applying business fundamentals.
"The people here have been so kind, welcoming and helpful in every way," Broad says. "Whenever I'm struggling with just about anything, there is always someone on campus I can go to."
A fan of motorsports during his young lifetime, he quickly learned he is not alone on the Western campus. He's a member of the Broncos' Formula SAE team. Like-minded students conceive, design, fabricate and compete in their vehicle at the Michigan International Speedway near Brooklyn. The competition is organized by SAE International, formerly the Society of Automotive Engineers.
On his own and when he's not trying to hitch an airplane ride, Broad exercises his mechanical muscles getting a car that has seen better days back up to speed. "It's been an absolute blast to fix up and drive," he says. Next in his sights is a motorcycle. These kinds of activities and his aviation courses will lead, he hopes, to working during his student days at the hometown Alpena County Regional Airport with its SkyWest Airlines connector flights to Detroit and traditional support for general aviation.
Once Broad's degree is framed on his wall, he can see himself taking all kinds of paths. "Smaller aircraft have always been more enjoyable for me than the big airliners," he says. "And as cool as flying private jets would be, I'll probably stick to the maintenance side of things as far as a career goes. My ultimate goal is to start my own experimental-aircraft company."
Let's see now. He's "fixing up" his own set of wheels and he's building a race car with fellow Broncos. What's next? His own plane? Yep.
Broad has purchased a set of plans to build a Davis DA-2, a low-wing, two-seat monoplane with a slab-like fuselage and a V-tail designed to be assembled at a person's home.
Is that the Broad way to move toward an ultimate goal? Sounds that way.