Aircraft Propeller Service, LLC, one of the world’s leading commercial aircraft propeller maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) organizations, continues to build upon its reputation as the “go to” training resource in the propeller MRO space. APS has been providing line maintenance training through its Prop University (Prop U) training program to technicians from leading airlines and government agencies for many years. In just the May to November time frame of 2019, under the leadership of Chief Inspector Joe Mayer, the company completed in-depth training programs for the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau; Malaysia Airlines (MAB); L3 Technologies; Lion Air and Calm Air.
According to Mayer, the Prop U training covers a wide range of components and repairs. “Depending on the customer and their requirements, our program provides comprehensive training in areas ranging from the evaluation of potential repairs performed during a Major Inspection; component disassembly and assembly procedures applying proper tooling and technical data; actuator, hub, transfer tube removals and installations; as well as propeller line maintenance. For some customers, the APS Prop U training has included basic 568F and 14SF blade construction, erosion film inspection/replacement, the effect the addition or subtraction of erosion coat/paint has on balance, heater damage evaluation and repairs, lightning strikes, ball marks on shanks, static balance, hub oil changes, VCI usage in hub oil, and packaging according to SIR 140. We are committed to tailoring the training to each customer’s unique needs.”
Mayer added that the ideal class size is six students, but has ranged has high as 20 students. Training is conducted both at APS’ Lake Zurich, Illinois, USA headquarters and the customers’ locations such as the MAB hangar in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; the Lion Air Training Center in Jakarta, Indonesia; and the Calm Air Hangar in Winnipeg (YWG), Canada.
Since launching Prop U in 2016, APS has further established itself as a leading resource for state of the art component MRO training, technical support and information on the latest techniques and technologies. APS’ goal is to extend the life of its customers’ propellers by raising their awareness and training their technicians on best practices for propeller maintenance.
Mayer continued, “Addressing preventable damage helps reduce the need to replace due to a component being deemed not repairable. Good maintenance increases our throughput in our shop and lowers costs on worn high dollar items of a particular component. Further, we are able to save components with our proprietary repairs which, only we, as a licensed repair station can provide.”
