Avionics News August 2012 - 30

And the Survey Says
In 2010, Kansas State’s Raylene Alexander measured both sides of the avionics education equation with a survey of schools and members of the industry. She is now repeating the survey to illuminate changes. Working with the Aircraft Electronics Association and Aviation Technician Education Council directories, she sent surveys to 125 schools that offered, or might offer avionics education. She received 59 responses, an excellent 47 percent return. A third were vocational schools, nearly two-thirds were two-year colleges, and four-year colleges completed the sample. Slightly less than half of all respondents educated avionics technicians. Of those without avionics programs, roughly half were considering starting one; their comments suggested that the ability to offer students AET and FCC certification were leading motivators (only two avionics programs did not offer either of these certifications). Line maintenance was the most common emphasis of responding programs, followed by troubleshooting, bench repair and installation. When it comes to technology, students at about a dozen schools got the opportunity to get hands-on with glass, usually the Garmin G1000 or G900, and the same number of schools reported the active participation of industry partners. This figure coincides with Alexander’s industry survey. Of the 147 responses from avionics and airframe manufacturers and installation and repair shops, 14 reported partnerships with schools – and 79 said they would like to partner with schools. Clearly, it seems there is an open opportunity in need of some troubleshooting. The industry survey also revealed that experience, followed by troubleshooting, were the two things the respondents found most lacking in the avionics employment pool. All but 16 said they would be interested in hiring the graduates of programs that specialize in troubleshooting skills, hands-on experience with glass and knowledge of the latest avionics technology. q
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AVIONICS EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY
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changes. Founded as Colorado AeroTech in 1965 (it became Redstone in 2006 when it started offering some non-aviation programs), avionics separated from the A&P program in 1989, according to Tim Braa, department chairman, who joined the faculty in 1997. Until two years ago, advanced electronics technology was airlinefocused “hardcore radio and line tech repair,” Braa said. Then the airlines stopped recruiting graduates, so with input from the school’s industry advisory committee, Braa updated the curriculum to hardcore electronics, wiring and troubleshooting. “It’s more analyze this circuit and not so much where does this doubler plate go,” he said, and “it’s a lot more what kind of documentation do we need when we use 337s, and what FARs are involved.” Since then, Redstone has replaced a lot of legacy equipment, including a Boeing 727 flight deck, with integrated glass from Garmin and Aspen and other boxes, from transponders to audio panels from market-leading OEMs. Then, there were the tools for crimping and soldering and necessary connectors and plugs and pins. Students wire a typical general aviation stack, and troubleshooting and integration play a big part, because “if the system doesn’t work when they’re finished, they have to figure out why,” Braa said. Braa applied 80/20 logic when selecting new equipment, but he still has a wish list. He would like to add XM direct-download weather to the radar and Stormscopes covered in weather avoidance systems. Fiber optics, used on larger computer-driven airplanes, is another possibility, but the splicing, polishing and related equipment can get expensive quickly. “I’d also like to teach a higher level of soldering to military or NASA specifications,” he said. Despite technology’s advancements, students still need to understand the basics of electronics. “I don’t care how

much you know about the system, to troubleshoot anything, if you don’t know how it’s set up and how it works, you’re not going to be able to fix it,” he said. “We still teach the old ADF, not because we think there are a lot of them flying today, but because it’s a good radio to begin learning on.” Education is a business, according to Kent Irick, and “at the dean level, keeping up is, perhaps, the greatest challenge in running an avionics program.” As dean of aviation programs at the Wichita Area Technical College, he should know. “Avionics equipment is so expensive, and the technology changes so fast, it’s difficult for any school, even one as new as ours, to keep up with the industry,” he said. In 2010, WATC consolidated three campuses of aviation education at the 224,000-square-foot National Center for Aviation Training, purpose built at Jabara Airport. “We’re a Part 147 school, so we do it all,” Irick said, and the curriculum meets the unique needs of Wichita’s aviation employers. Even in the heart of GA airframe OEMs, ripe with partnership and donation opportunities, “it’s difficult to have the latest and greatest, but you don’t have to have all the bells and whistles to get the core skill sets and foundational knowledge.” Perhaps more important is the test equipment. Instead of an oscilloscope with a meter on it, students have fully equipped workstations connected to WATC’s fully integrated computer system. Time matters, too. Students earn their certification in roughly half the time, because they attend classes daily rather than two or three times a week. Because most avionics students have day jobs, classes run from 4:30 to 10 p.m., Irick said, but the program adds daytime classes this school year. Raylene Alexander, the associate professor who leads the avionics program at Kansas State University in Salina, Kan., addresses the technology challenge differently. Joining the faculty in 2006
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Avionics News August 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Avionics News August 2012