State of AMTSociety Address
I would like to continue this month with more on education and partnerships that AMTSociety has agreements with.
The first AMTSociety IA renewal consortium program was on Saturday, Sept. 12 in Los Angeles. It was a good turnout with excellent presentations from Honeywell, Cirrus Aircraft, Pacific Oil Cooler Service, FedEx, Bell Helicopter, and the FAASteam. The morning break and lunch were provided by Aircraft Appraisals, and the afternoon break was sponsored by Barfield.
ATEC
Friday, Sept. 18 we met with the FAA at AFS-300 Headquarters: Carol E. Giles, manager; Daniel Bachelder, deputy assistant division manager; and Murray Hauling, manager, AFS-350. Edward L. Hall, ASI, and Marcus Cunningham, ASI, represented the FAA. There were 15 ATEC board members in attendance. Items discussed were: Part 147 final report transition to NPRM update from AFS-300; followup and praise for moving IA renewal from one- to two-year cycle; encourage the transition of Form 8610-2 into the IACRA system; encourage ways to make the oral and practical testing process less time consuming (average general, A&P is 20 hours); praise for new FAA-H-8083-30 (ATB), the new FAA-produced general textbook AC 65-9A; discuss DME renewal cycle and FSDO schedule (fiscal year) to accomplish required items; discuss license and certificate terminology displayed on FAA home page; and issues or concerns for ATEC from the FAA.
NCATT
Please see the article on page 33 of the September 2009 AMT magazine.
Northrop Rice Foundation
Friday, Aug. 21 the semiannual Northrop Rice Foundation was held in Houston, hosted by FlightSafety. There were 10 board members in attendance. The main issue discussed was the number of scholarships that were given over this past year and the fact that we will give 60 scholarships out this year in addition to the two from AMTSociety.
Stay safe.
— Tom Hendershot
2009-2010 AMTSociety IA renewal program
Oct. 28, 2009, Sheraton Mahwah Hotel, One International Blvd., Mahwah, NJ
NEW: Nov. 4, 2009, Four Points by Sheraton, 4900 Duckhorn Dr., Sacramento, CA
Nov. 11, 2009, Four Points by Sheraton, One Industry Lane, Pittsburgh, PA
Dec. 9, 2009, Holiday Inn/Sea-Tac Intl. Airport, 17338 International Blvd., Seattle, WA
Jan. 13, 2010, ExpressJet Airlines Training Center, 17445 John F. Kennedy Blvd., Houston, TX
Jan. 27, 2010, Holiday Inn, Atlanta Airport S., 4669 Airport Blvd., Atlanta, GA
Feb. 10, 2010, Hilton Garden Inn, Phoenix Airport N., 3838 E. Van Buren St., Phoenix, AZ
Feb. 24, 2010, Holiday Inn KCI & Expo Center, 11730 N. Ambassador Dr., Kansas City, MO
March 16-17, 2010, Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, NV, Aviation Industry Expo
March 24, 2010, The Summit Conference & Event Center, 411 Sable Blvd., Aurora, CO
From EAA: Texas A&M
One of the very interesting and unique presentations at EAA was the Cessna 02A Skymaster which is used for extensive Velocity XL-5RG and Stemme 5-10V testing. USAF Major Aaron A. Tucker, doctoral student, Flight Research Laboratory Department of Aerospace Engineering, and Cecil Rhodes, flight mechanic specialist/research assistant, explained the testing that the Flight Research Laboratory conducts.
Here’s Cecil Rhodes’ story: “I began working for Texas A&M in October 2005. My career has taken quite a change since I began here. Sure I still work on airplanes and I still enjoy it, but I am doing so much more that is enjoyable and rewarding and sometimes just plain fun.
“The primary research we are doing is Laminar Flow Control, trying to reduce drag on swept wings. One of the main reasons the Cessna O2 was selected for this project is because it has the hard points on the wings. We attach an airfoil onto the left outboard pylon for the flight testing. We then fly the airplane up to 10,500 feet and cold soak the model for 30 minutes and dive down to get enough speed for the testing. The flight test engineer is then able to manipulate an insert that is in the leading edge of the model and control transition of laminar to turbulent air. The flight test engineer views the model through an infrared camera and can see when transition occurs.
“I am also in the process right now of helping reconstruct a wind-tunnel that was brought from Arizona State University. I’ve been heavily involved with that for just over a year. I’m also the maintenance technician and safety officer for an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) research project in which our test-bed is an Extra 300 RC airplane.
“I enjoy working with the students. I am a technical assistant for the aircraft “Senior Design” class. In this class the students actually build a flying model which they designed on paper the semester before. I help out wherever they need me. At the end of the semester the students get to bring their models to a test area and see if the planes will fly. It is an exciting time. We have a professional RC pilot that flies for us and a lot of times he has his hands full. I’m having fun so far and look forward to the next chapter in my aviation career.”
McKinley Siegfried
For many of you this next story will be the most incredible one you‘ve ever read, but let me assure you it is true. This 16-year-old was given a birthday present by her parents and grandparents, a Texas Sport kit from the American Legend Aircraft.
The family enrolled in the conpany’s KwikBuild Builder Assist Program at the Texas Sport facility in Sulphur Springs, TX. The kit includes the welded and painted fuselage, and the builder has to bolt everything in — the controls, floorboard, and seats, and route the control cables. The wings are partially assembled and some of the ribs are installed. The builder runs the cables, installs the fuel tanks, the fuel system, as well as the pitot static system. McKinley told me she enjoyed doing the fabric work the most; she really enjoys hands-on projects and is very creative.
She said that the N number was her doing, 416MS, “The airplane was for (4) my 16th birthday and the M and S are my initials. Additionally on the door entering the cockpit she has: ”Built by McKinley.”
McKinley soloed a Schweizer 2-33 three times on her 14th birthday with her father flying the tow plane. Then on her 16th birthday she soloed a Piper Pacer that her grandfather and uncle co-own. It is a truly amazing story about a beautiful young lady who has a great interest in aviation, not just the flying but in the maintenance aspects also. We certainly need more young people to have the interest and energy that McKinley has.
Board of Directors:
Jim Sparks
Jim Sparks has been involved in aviation maintenance for more than 30 years and is a licensed A&P. His career began in general aviation and evolved into mostly business aircraft as a mechanic, electrician, and avionics technician. In addition to extensive hands-on, Sparks spent much of his career creating and delivering educational programs for several training organizations and served as a technical representative for an offshore manufacturer of executive jets.
Currently, he directs the maintenance for a private corporation on a fleet that includes several types of business jets, turbine helicopters, and light single engine aircraft.
Sparks takes an active role in the industry and is a member of the NBAA Maintenance Committee and the Honeywell operator board. This is in addition to serving as a board member of the AMTSociety plus being an active participant of the FAA Safety Team (FAAST).
