“Rockets and satellites must be conceived and planned in every detail, but that alone would never get them off the launching pad,” wrote E.M. Claude in 1960.
At that time, Claude was the president of the American Vocational Association, which today is the Association for Career and Technical Education, and he was referring to the skilled technical workers that were needed to launch our nation into the space age.
The people who work as technicians, mechanics and engineers may not get the glory that is showered upon the astronauts and pilots, but their role is every bit as important. Actually, it is in all probability much more important.
The names Orville and Wilbur Wright are well known, but not everyone has heard of Charles Taylor. The Wright brothers may have been responsible for building the airframe of their historic plane and for flying it, but they didn’t do it without the help of a third bicycle mechanic.
“Without Charles Taylor, the Wright brothers’ plane would not have flown for some time,” says Jim Primm, the director of aviation programs at Eastern New Mexico University-Roswell. “Mr. Taylor designed and built the engine that powered the Flyer.”
The Aviation Maintenance Technology program at Eastern New Mexico University-Roswell (ENMU-Roswell) is housed on the former site of Walker Air Force Base. In fact, the whole campus of the school is on the former strategic Air Force Base where the notorious Roswell incident supposedly took place (although College Development Director Donna Gutierrez reports that no aliens have been discovered since the school took residence). When the base was shut down in 1967, it became the Roswell Industrial Air Center, and approximately 100 acres were given to the university.
The Aviation Maintenance Technology (AMT) building was constructed in 1978, and a new wing with four more classrooms was added in an expansion that was completed just last year. Primm reports that the new classrooms are state of the art, complete with ceiling projector and whiteboards. With the expanded capacity, the program accommodates a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) capacity of 90 students.
Two years ago, the school received a $900,000 congressional grant to buy equipment and supplies, and the grant will finish out this year. But the expansion itself was financed through a $1/2 million general obligation bond. “So you can see,” says Primm, “the whole state is behind this program.”
The AMT program at ENMU-Roswell is the only training program in New Mexico that is accredited by the FAA, and Primm describes it as “very modern, very state of the art and very doable.”
What makes it so doable is the cost. If a student is from a state that is part of the Western Undergraduate Exchange Program (which includes Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North and South Dakota, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming), the enrollment fee and tuition cost for the whole program is just $3,000. That covers four semesters plus one summer session.
The ENMU-Roswell program trains students on both fixed wing aircraft and helicopters. Students may choose to complete only the AMT portion of the program and obtain a Certificate of Occupational Training, or they may take four additional general education courses and graduate with an associate of applied science degree. A new online bachelor degree program for students who have already earned an associate’s degree is designed to be completed within two years of full-time enrollment following completion of the associate degree. After completing a total of 128 hours with a minimum of 32-33 hours at ENMU, including upper division work, a student is awarded a bachelor of applied arts and sciences.
“We also have a great program if you’re an A&P [airframe and powerplant] technician and have always wanted a degree,” says Primm. “You can take the four academic classes and any necessary remedial classes and can get your associate’s degree. The academic program is all online.”
There are some professional development requirements (showing updated skills and knowledge,) and a notarized copy of the applicant’s FAA Airframe and Powerplant Certificate must be presented, but it doesn’t matter if an applicant’s original A&P certification dates back many years.
This past March, the ENMU-Roswell Aviation Maintenance Technology department was awarded the Certificate of Excellence Diamond Award from the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Aviation Administration in recognition of their participation in the FAA Aviation Technician Training Program and for the university’s commitment to increasing aviation safety.
ENMU-Roswell Provost Dr. Judy Armstrong thanked Program Director Primm and the four instructors, Jerry DeLosh, Mike Montoya, Karen Cain, and David Partain, for their dedicated efforts that earned the school such a recognition.
“This certificate recognizes the highest level of excellence in aviation technician training,” said Armstrong.
At Pima Community College (PCC) in Arizona, they really know how to accept a gift with style. When FedEx donated a 727 aircraft to the school’s aviation program, the Tucson International Airport fire department provided a “water arch” through which the plane taxied on its way to the PCC Aviation Technology Center adjoining the airport. A reception following the plane’s arrival included comments by FedEx, PCC and other area dignitaries.
The complete and fully functional 727, N115FE, was retired from FedEx’s Canadian operations and will be used in the college’s new program option in airframe and powerplant training. PCC is also working with the FAA to get the aviation program certified to provide instruction in transport category aircraft.
Pete Stogsdill, the department chair of the aviation facility, says that because the FedEx plane arrived late in August, it made it difficult to get the curriculum updated in time for the fall semester. However, he hopes to have that done by November.
Stogsdill notes that with 106 hours in composites, 106 hours in sheet metal, and 106 hours in wood, fabric and metal tubing, they will almost triple the structural content from the typical A&P school.
That’s the true strength of the PCC program. “We blaze new ground with structural repair,” says Stogsdill.
And now with the donation from FedEx, they will be doing most of their systems training on a fully functioning 727, so the PCC students will have strong backgrounds in structural repair and air transport. According to Stogsdill, that should really benefit his students because air transport is where most people will be finding jobs.
Not that finding employment has been a problem for his students. In fact, the program boasts a 97 percent employment rate for its graduates. Even before graduation, some students receive two or three job offers from local companies such as Boeing and Hamilton Aviation.
Tim Cote, PCC aviation instructor, says of his last group of students, “Even though they hadn’t finished the program yet, the whole class had offers from aircraft companies.”
Stogsdill adds, “Employers that hire our structural repair students say our students come out of here with about 10 years of exposure on the job.”
In an exciting new program at Olathe Northwest in Kansas, high school students have the opportunity to explore and master technical applications of high-level mathematics, science and technology education through engineering-based projects.
Olathe Northwest Principal Gwen Poss calls it “a phenomenal program for our kids” and notes that students are coming from all over the district to participate in it. “It’s not just ‘seat’ time,” she says. “Students can earn an endorsement in this program. The endorsement is more than kids just taking classes. There are activities, conferences, internships, special projects kids have to participate in, in addition to class time.”
Students can earn an endorsement that they can use, as Poss explains, “to market themselves as having taken classes with a focus.”
Although uniquely designed, the Olathe Aerospace/Engineering (A/E) program integrates the state and national curriculum standards. The students take courses such as A/E Chemistry, A/E Physics, Introduction to Technology Education, and A/E CAD I, II and III; however, these courses include traditional content that has been enriched through the project-based learning and field experiences.
The team projects include designing and building rockets and robotics, as well as using flight simulator software and the wind tunnel. Students also design and test model roller coasters. The rudiments of flight are taught using the Microsoft software Flight Simulator Flight Trainer, but it’s fully functional, complete with aircraft trainer control panel.
A new addition to the program this year is a wind tunnel purchased from GDJ Inc. (www.gdj.inc.com). They also purchased a roller coaster and a crash tester from the company, whose president Jack Gilbert is a former career tech teacher. Poss says that the aerospace and engineering design team did a lot of research on whether to buy a stand-alone flight simulator or a wind tunnel. Based on the curriculum, the instructors and the design team both felt that they needed something that was always useable, and the wind tunnel fit that description much more than the flight simulator because it can be used in physics classes as well as the A/E program. The mock roller coaster will also be used to teach physics concepts using hands-on data-driven experiments.
Sue Rippe is the site facilitator of the A/E program and also teaches A/E chemistry at Olathe Northwest. She is very excited about the new program, especially the team teaching and the integration of the different subject matter. In her subject area of chemistry, she can teach materials and processing and team with the CAD (computer aided design) teacher.
Rippe explains that students in a regular chemistry class may learn about elements but not how they apply to industrial manufacturing in the real world. That’s why she thinks this is such a great approach to teaching.
“I taught general chemistry for a number of years,” notes Rippe. “This is the way to teach. It’s so real world and so project oriented.”
Another team project going on at Olathe Northwest is called “The Wright Stuff.” Three teachers are integrating the project adapted from the Science Olympiad. Using physics and math principles in the CAD room, students will attempt to design the airplane that will stay aloft the longest.
The Olathe Northwest A/E students have plenty of exciting experiences outside of the classroom as well, as they participate in state, regional and national science, math and technology competitions. Students also mentor younger students, volunteer on community projects that relate to aerospace engineering and do presentations at a conference, informational forum or in the community. Additional volunteer opportunities are available at the Kansas City Union Station Science City/Children’s Museum.
In another program based in Olathe, Kansas, students who are interested in aerospace engineering have the opportunity to participate in a technical mentored internship program with Honeywell’s Business Regional and General Aviation (BRGA) division in Olathe, Kansas. The award-winning program, dubbed “Minternships” by Honeywell, is the result of a partnership established five years ago between the company and the Olathe School District.
BRGA Olathe provides advanced avionics for general aviation aircraft. It is part of a larger avionics business unit of Honeywell called Aerospace Electronic Systems (AES). Honeywell’s aerospace business is headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona. It is a leading global provider of integrated avionics, engines, systems and service solutions for aircraft manufacturers, airlines, business and general aviation, military, space and airport operations. This corporation may be global, but it has a community connection with Olathe, where its Honeywell Cedar Creek facility is located.
Honeywell provided the school district with a $25,000 grant to initiate the high school mentored internships. Olathe District Schools Coordinator and Grant Facilitator Janet Simpson worked with Hap Adkins, Honeywell BRGA’s manager of human resources development, to develop the program and the screening process.
“This program allows students the opportunity to receive hands-on learning while experiencing the real world of work,” says Simpson.
Adkins agrees with that assessment, noting that, “Students get to experience what it is actually like to work in a major, global company on a team with professionals. They experience responsibility and accountability as well as contribute/add value to their team’s effort.”
There are benefits for the company as well as for the students in a program such as this. “Honeywell gets to review and assess high-potential talent before they interview for a full-time job,” explains Adkins. “We get to ‘grow our own’ future, local talent and groom that talent for future employment and leadership positions.”
That has indeed already happened. During the 1999-2000 school year, Tu Quach was one of the first three Olathe students to become a mintern at Honeywell where his interest gravitated from electrical engineering to other aspects of the business. Following his graduation in May 2000, Quach returned each summer to work as an intern for Honeywell. After graduating from the University of Illinois with a degree in business administration and business management information systems, the former mintern became a full-time Honeywell employee.
In order to qualify for the minternship program, students must be seniors with at least a 3.5 GPA and a desire to learn about engineering. They should have a background that includes strong elements of math, science and computer skills. They should also have good communication and interpersonal skills and be organized and self-directed.
If that sounds like a tough bill to fill, in Olathe they have managed to do just that, because, for the past five years, student interns have been placed in several departments at Honeywell under the supervision of mentor/managers. There they earn as they learn, gaining real-world experience.
On-the-job training begins in June, when the interns work 40 hours per week, receive orientation and learn the essentials of their jobs. As part of the learning component about business, the students receive Total Quality Management (TQM) and Six Sigma Plus training. Six Sigma Plus is used to improve business processes, and its certification process requires the individual to proficiently use Six-Sigma tools in simplifying processes resulting in the reduction of errors and costs. The students design a project to develop throughout the school year to complete in order to become certified Six Sigma Greenbelts.
During the school year, the students work a minimum of 10 hours (with a maximum of 20 hours) per week and receive academic credit for their participation in the training program. The minternship is completed in May in conjunction with high school graduation.
During their minternships, the students are assigned to an engineering team and work with their team to meet the company’s goals. Olathe students have worked in aspects of the industry that include marketing and e-business, and in areas such as environmental test engineering and flight information systems engineering. Twice a month, the students’ minternship team meets to learn more about all aspects of the engineering industry, and they work together as a team to develop presentations that are shared with future minternship candidates, the school district, businesses and Honeywell leadership.
The managers, mentors and engineering teams evaluate the students’ progress and development using company-designed evaluations. Because these are the same methods used by most companies for evaluating staff, the students are given a realistic workplace experience.
Mintern Adam Wisnieski says, “Having the guidance from your mentors and teammates, people who have been around in your field of interest for a long time, is unmatched in any other program I have seen.”
Wisnieski now attends the University of Kansas but commutes to Honeywell where he works about 15 hours a week during the school year as an undergraduate engineering intern. As part of his job there, he is developing graphical models for an integrated cockpit.
Wisnieski calls the benefits of the Honeywell program “substantial” and adds that “I do hope and sincerely believe that Honeywell is benefiting from my personal experience in this program”
He knows he has a good opportunity for a full-time job with the company after he graduates because of his experience there. And for now, he says, “This is a job I thoroughly enjoy and I wouldn’t trade it for any other job during college.”
Students submit weekly e-journals to the school district coordinator, business minternship coordinator and the minternship champions. In the e-journals, the students reflect on their work experiences, learning, growth and concerns.
Honeywell also invites teachers, counselors and administrators to job shadow their students at Honeywell for one full day.
“The job shadow day has allowed many teachers to experience the connection between the knowledge and skills taught in the classroom and those skills needed to be successful in the field of engineering,” says Simpson.
Lee Sappingfield, an industrial technology teacher at Olathe East High School, has had a number of students participate in the minternship program and he completed a two-week externship at Honeywell last summer. “This program allows teachers to go into a firm to observe and possibly contribute,” Sappingfield comments. “The goal is that the teachers will then have a set of skills they can apply to the classroom.”
So what are the plans for the future of the minternship program? According to Adkins, “We plan to continue this program and expand it to other business functions as well as to other Honeywell businesses. We have increased our staff of champions to allow us to offer opportunities to more students in years to come. We will continually review the minternship program, as well as our involvement with other school programs, looking for ways to improve and will make those improvements as needed to help ensure that this continues to be one of the benchmarkable business/school partnerships in this nation.”
