Carlos Smith

Carlos.Smith@mtsu.edu

Dr. Chaminda Prelis

Aerospace

Discipline specific equipment

Airway Science Building-Hangar Bay

N/A

N/A

The AERO Maintenance Management curriculum is accredited by both the Aviation Accreditation Board International (AABI), and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as a federally approved Aviation Maintenance Technician training program. In 2018, the department’s largest training aircraft, a 50-year-old Boeing 727 aircraft, reached its serviceable life as a teaching aid and was retired. Through its serviceable life, this aircraft offered the tremendous ability to train AERO students on large gas turbine engines, complex aircraft systems, and practical experience working on a large transport category aircraft. During the last two FAA program reviews (2019 & 2020), federal inspectors noted the retirement of the Boeing 727 and suggested the program obtain comparable training equipment to replace the aircraft. In 2021, the FAA inspector verbally warned if the lack of contemporary training equipment was not corrected, the Maintenance Management program should expect a serious deficiency to be noted in its upcoming 2022 review. AABI is scheduled for the program’s 5-year accreditation renewal beginning in April. Consequently, it is reasonable to expect the AAB final report may also note the absence of contemporary training equipment and possibly record a serious deficiency that could jeopardize program reaccreditation. These new training aids will meet both AABI and FAA expectations. These trainers will also modernize multiple courses: AERO’s 2342, 4310, 4311, 4312, 4332, 4342, 4371, 4381, and 4392 (approximately 350 students/year cycle through these courses). The variety of equipment requested presents flexibility to teach core curriculums reflective of the technical advances across the aerospace industry. It will also help the Maintenance Management program remain a national leader in collegiate aerospace education.