Trevor Budge, 28, is a Lead Instructor of aerospace composites and an instructor in aircraft maintenance at North Idaho College in Hayden, ID. Classes he teaches include: composites fabrication and repair, aircraft ground operations, aircraft auxiliary systems, aircraft composites, aircraft welding, and magnetic particle inspection.

At North Idaho College he has designed and developed a one-year composites (fabrication and repair) program from the ground up. Duties included composites curriculum writing and approval (university and state). Budge worked with architects on the design of the Aerospace Center of Excellence in Hayden and designed and developed the composites classrooms and workshop areas. He also assisted with the development of the FAA aircraft maintenance program. He developed and teaches both online and conventional lecture/lab classes. 

Budge was motivated to get into the industry by a family friend. He had struggled through high school and knew he didn't want to go directly into four-year academia. He was always interested in building things: model rockets, planes just about anything that shoots fire and makes noise. So a friend who was an inspector for an airline at Boeing's 717 plant took him on a tour and after that he knew he wanted to pursue aviation. He was encouraged to get his A&P right after high school and the rest is history.

He received his A&P from Redstone College in Inglewood, CA. Budge is an American Composites Manufacturers Association certified composites instructor and composites technician. He has attended ASNT TC-1A magnetic particle testing and dye penetrant testing. He is currently enrolled in SolidWorks and Mastercam.

His mentor is Burt Rutan. He has been working with Rutan on his SkiGull project for about a year and four months. Budge has worked with a team to construct an experimental aircraft (SkiGull) that requires no configuration changes to land on water, conventional and gravel runways, grass, or snow. His main duties included composite tooling and fabrication, trimming, fitting, and assembly. Other duties include rigging, operations checkout and modification, water testing, and flight testing.

He belongs to the American Composites Manufacturers Association (ACMA). He also is an R&D technician at Continuous Composites 3D and a contract sUAS pilot for Aerial Resources Group.

Budge was nominated by Patrick O'Halloran, aerospace director, North Idaho College. O'Halloran says, "Trevor was an engineering student at North Idaho College (NIC) when this college began adding aerospace and advanced manufacturing to their catalog. Trevor chose to forego his acceptance in the University of Southern California's engineering program in Fall 2013 to accept a position as the first instructor hired at NIC Aerospace. He led the curriculum design, equipping, and retrofit/layout of a new composites program and its lab. Just 51 days after he was hired, the first students entered his classroom, enrolled in credit-bearing courses in certificate programs. He has been key to continued expansion of that program into an associate degree path that includes a two-semester Composite Fabrication Technician certificate, as well as other stackable credentials. 144 students have entered Trevor's lab since; 56 are already working in related employment. During these past three years, NIC Aerospace also achieved AMT certificate #4NIT612K; a process in which Trevor held a key part. Since 2013 this former Eagle Scout has been teaching full-time, including summers, to ensure the success of his students and these new programs. Aircraft design legend Burt Rutan, while serving as an advisor to NIC Aerospace, took note of Trevor's abilities and now has him as a key member of his team constructing his latest project, the "SkiGull". Trevor Budge is definitely one to watch as he continues to foster aerospace industry growth in the Northwest and beyond."

Budge volunteers with the Aviation Club at the Coeur d' Alene airport. He has also been in charge of North Idaho College's AeroCamp for high school students to introduce them to aviation for the past two summers. 

His goal is to finish his engineering degree and one day become a chief technical officer of a private space company, or start his own company in aviation.