ENMU-Roswell Aviation Maintenance Technology graduate, Victor Lopez, 26, took his credentials and boosted his career to new heights on Earth and beyond. After completing the AMT program in the spring of 2019, he began working with SkyWest Airlines in Tucson, Arizona and also applied for a position with Virgin Galactic. In January of 2020, he was hired at Virgin and now works as a Space Wrench, his official title, and it’s a job he feels “super lucky” to have.

Lopez said after researching various Airframe and Powerplant (A and P) programs, he chose ENMU-Roswell because of its fast-track completion timeframe, which was then 14.5 months. He already had a background in automotive mechanics after completing a tech program in Arizona, but knew he wanted to “step it up a bit” and pursue a career in aviation. Lopez said the training he received and the dedication of the instructors at ENMU-Roswell really prepared him for his career. “When you go to school, you only get out of it what you put into it. I wouldn’t go anywhere else if I had to redo it honestly. I wouldn’t do it any other way,” he said.

Unlike other A and P positions which involve more repetitive troubleshooting on aircraft, Lopez said his A and P mechanic duties at Virgin are unique and every day is different. He lives in Deming, his hometown, and commutes one and a half hours each day to work the night shift at Spaceport America, Virgin Galactic’s human spaceflight headquarters and center of flight operations. As the floor lead on his shift, Lopez and his crew prepare the spaceship for flight, loading fuel, and moving it to the runway. He was involved in the first power launch out of New Mexico, but the successful flight to suborbital space of SpaceShip Two VSS Unity on July 11 was surreal for him and a true “pinch me moment.” He said the last 24 hours leading up to the launch were critical. “You spend a lot of time and a lot of effort just to get it launched. It’s pretty sweet.” He said everyone he works with is wonderful and feels he really has opportunities for advancement. He sees a great future and plans to stay with Virgin. “We are still at the beginning stages, so we’re not like an airline yet. There is still a lot of structure that needs to happen with everyone’s input.”

Lopez said the Virgin team was happy to complete their first fully crewed spaceflight. They are supportive of the accomplishments of Blue Origin as well, because he said each company has different experiences to offer and both are opening up new opportunities in the space tourism industry. “Their rocket is pretty cool too.”

If given the opportunity, Lopez would absolutely take the trip to space, but for now looks forward to the new challenges to come at Virgin and his wedding here on planet Earth in October.

“My name is Harley Thomas, 54 years old and I was a 2016 graduate from ENMU-Roswell with an Associates in Applied Science in Aviation Maintenance Technology.

I’m a 28 year Aviation Maintenance Technician with a major airline and wanted to further my education from just having an Airframe/Power-plant license.  I had heard through word of mouth the Aviation Education online program at ENMU-Roswell and decided to transfer from a local community college and pursue my Associates degree.  Upon graduation in 2016, I contemplated my next step of what I wanted from my degree and future career path. The answer was to transfer to Oklahoma State University and enroll in the Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Administration/Operations of which I will graduate in Spring 2019. I will have my Masters by mid term 2019 also from OSU. My end goal is to be an adjunct instructor in Aviation Education for the undergraduate program at Oklahoma State University-Tulsa campus, starting the Spring 2020.

    I highly recommend the Aviation Education program at Eastern New Mexico University-Roswell. It helped me achieve my goals and opened doors that this late bloomer in higher education never knew existed. I will always remember the opportunities and value this Aviation program has brought to me and my career.”