Type-specific training is critical whether you sit in the pilot’s seat or work on the shop floor. For technicians that training often comes in the form of supervised work experience, but just like intense simulator training for pilots, shouldn’t it be supplemented with proper, in-depth classroom work?
Mike Grabbe certainly thinks so. Grabbe has been conducting Twin Commander maintenance training for more than 20 years, starting first with FlightSafety, and now with Eagle Creek Aviation near Indianapolis. Grabbe is an internationally recognized expert in the systems, proper repair procedures, and troubleshooting of the complete line of Twin Commanders.
His classes run about seven days for the training, and another half-day for testing that culminates with a completion certificate that satisfies EASA requirements. In those eight days students learn about basically every system on the airplane, except for interiors. That includes service publications, inspection programs, landing gear, flight controls, electrical system, fire suppression, annunciators, environmental systems, fuel, and engines. “Open wide and here it comes from a fire hose,” Grabbe said.
The presentations reference the AMM & AIPC documents, and other associated publications that are provided on a USB device. The course also includes information on the G950 and MT-Propeller STCs.
As you might expect, the pandemic changed things. The training program switched to a virtual model, and because classes are relatively small, Grabbe said he felt like the engagement remained high. This year there will be one virtual class in May, and two face-to-face classes in Indianapolis. The dates are:
- April 4 to April 13 – In-person training at Eagle Creek Aviation (EYE)
- May 9 to 18 – Virtual training available worldwide
- Oct 17 to 26 – In-person training at Eagle Creek Aviation (EYE)
Both in-person and virtual sessions are $5,000 per attendee, and include all the course materials and the completion certificate. “I’m always adding new material,” Grabbe said. So even if you’ve taken the class in the past, recurrent training is always a wise investment.
Grabbe believes strongly in the value of the training. He said there are more than 45 technicians working for Eagle Creek right now, and his goal is to get each new tech through the training as soon as he can schedule them. “For all of them, it’s a priority to get them into training,” he said. And although he used to travel to client locations if a company had multiple techs for the training, he said he’s no longer going on the road. If you want the best and only official source of comprehensive maintenance training on Twin Commanders, it’s only available at Eagle Creek or virtually.
Pilot systems training
In the last few years Grabbe has also added a two-day course for pilots on aircraft systems. It’s on-demand and covers the owner/operator’s specific model of airplane. Although the course doesn’t cover avionics, it is 10 to 12 hours of time in the classroom dedicated to intense systems knowledge of the airframe, engines, and related systems. Each class is $1,450.
For more information or to sign up for a class, contact:
Mike Grabbe
Eagle Creek Aviation Training Manager
317-293-6935
[email protected]
