A Suffolk man was in the clouds after he learned he’d received a prestigious award from a society of aircraft maintenance professionals.

David Karnuth has been teaching at Chesapeake’s Aviation Institute of Maintenance since 2012. He graduated from the school in 2007 and worked two aircraft-maintenance jobs in New York in the interim.

Recently, he was honored by the AMT Society with one of its NextGen Award — 40 Under 40 Aircraft Maintenance Professionals.

“I had no experience doing this,” he said of when he first started at the school. “Until I went to school here, I had never touched a plane.”

Karnuth said he had worked a variety of jobs but felt the need to get into something more permanent.

“I was at the point where I didn’t just want a job,” he said. “I wanted a career.”

His mentor at the school was Nancy Jones, who also recently got her own award, Teacher of the Year, from the Aviation Technician Education Council.

“She got me excited about aviation,” he said.

The program at Aviation Institute of Maintenance is 18 months and features the required 2,300 hours of instruction before students can take their licensure test. Karnuth teaches a 15-week section of it, focusing on “air frame systems,” which is almost everything but the engine — landing gear, communication and navigation, hydraulics, cabin pressure and so on.

“I love teaching,” Karnuth said. “I try and have as much fun as possible.”

The folks around Aviation Institute of Maintenance are a fun-loving bunch, as Brad Groom demonstrated when he talked about Karnuth.

“He’s got a big heart — and a big stomach for doughnuts,” Groom said.

But in all seriousness, Groom added, “He’s dependable, he’s well liked by his peers and his students, and he’s firm, friendly but fair.”

Karnuth said he was surprised when he learned he’d received the award, especially since he didn’t know Groom had nominated him.

“I was just shocked,” he said. “It’s a nice honor.”