Photo By Sgt. 1st Class Monette Wike | Soldiers attending a LUH-72 Lakota maintainer’s course, at the Western Army National...... read more read more
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MARANA, Ariz. - The Western Army National Guard Aviation Training Site unveiled a first-of-its-kind Virtual Maintenance Trainer for the UH-72A Light Helicopter Repairer Course at the Silverbell Army Heliport, June 6.
Consisting of 12 workstations, the VMT, provides students the ability to familiarize and practice maintenance tasks prior to ever opening a door or hatch on the physical aircraft. As the only UH-72A Light Helicopter virtual trainer, it will support the training program for maintainers from the Army National Guard, Reserve and Active Duty components.
“The repair course provides instruction on 66 essential maintenance tasks,” said Army Lt. Col John Morelos, battalion commander of the WAATS Total Army School System. “By leveraging technology and learner-centric teaching strategies, the VMT provides a familiar digital platform that connects with the new generation of Soldiers.”
In addition to the selection by the National Guard Bureau to conduct the LUH-72 maintenance course, the Arizona Army National Guard and the WAATS are home to more than 20 LUH-72 Lakota’s. These aircraft are utilized daily in support of civil authorities and in assistance to the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol along the southwest border, requiring regular maintenance at a higher standard than most army aircraft.
The LUH-72 is a Federal Aviation Administration registered aircraft owned by the Army and the Army National Guard and must be maintained to FAA standards of flight safety, making the training and maintenance more stringent, and strictly monitored.
"Unlike many other military aircraft the Lakota is maintained to FAA standards with FAA-credentialed combination airframe and power plant mechanics,” said Army Lt. Col. Frederic Edquid, WAATS Maintenance Battalion Commander. “These mechanics put their individual license on the line for every project they complete, not only for the military today, but for their future employability in the civilian world.”
Working with Ft. Eustis and the Eastern Aviation Training Site, the WAATS assisted in building the training curriculum needed to conduct the course. This process to build this curriculum began in February 2013 and was completed in April 2013, with 12-hour work days six-to-seven days a week.
Part of this process was the purchasing of training aides to include the civilian version of the Lakota for hands-on training, which inspired the idea to create a VMT. The contract to build the trainer was awarded in March 2015.
Working closely with the contractor, staff and instructors spent more than 2,500 hours reviewing the more than 67,000 steps involved in the proper execution of maintenance tasks. This included reviewing more than 80,000 lines of code to ensure that all training requirements could be met and exceeded with in the virtual training system.
In addition to the VMT, a support program was developed allowing students to reach back to the schoolhouse for refresher training after returning to their duty station. The maintenance training aircraft, VMT, and the reach-back program were all executed and completed at the same time.
“The VMT will enhance training for the newer Soldiers that have grown up in this technology laden environment while adhering to the Soldier competencies,” said Army 1st Sgt. James Morrison, WAATS TASS Battalion 1st Sgt.
The trainer’s value will be put to the test as the schoolhouse executes this new course for nearly 100 students per year, and will serve as a reference for more than 150 student pilots and other aircraft maintainers.
The first to utilize the new VTM, comprised of Soldiers from Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Nebraska, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon, Utah, Washington and West Virginia, and graduated at the end of June 2016.
| Date Taken: | 07.07.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 07.07.2016 15:40 |
| Story ID: | 203340 |
| Location: | MARANA, AZ, US |
| Web Views: | 675 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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