TRU Simulation + Training, a Textron Inc. company, today announced the opening of its new Aviation Maintenance Training Academy located on the Textron Aviation Mid-Continent campus in Wichita, Kansas. Courses currently offered include mechanical and avionics theory and practical for new production Beechcraft King Air 350i, 250, and C90GTx turboprops with the Pro Line Fusion® avionics system, mechanical and avionics maintenance theory for Beechcraft Baron and Bonanza aircraft models, and instruction for McCauley propeller maintenance for piston and turbine model aircraft. Class offerings run from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. CST, Monday through Friday.

In the new climate-controlled facility, aircraft technicians receive a combination of classroom instruction and training on both maintenance task trainers and actual aircraft housed in the academy’s adjacent hangar. Instruction is provided by individuals who not only are experienced in maintaining the type of aircraft they are teaching, but who also have direct interaction with the people who make the aircraft.

“Being a Textron Aviation approved training center—and being located on the Textron Aviation campus—allows a knowledge exchange between our courseware developers and instructors that gives us the most up-to-date and accurate training,” explained Diane Giuliani, vice president and general manager of the Training Centers and Services division for TRU Simulation + Training. “That, and the fact that the TRU Aviation Maintenance Academy focuses only on instruction for aircraft technicians, gives us a real competitive advantage.”

Near future plans for the maintenance academy include expanding training to include additional aircraft types—starting with the Cessna CJ series—and systems, such as engine run and taxi, engine maintenance, avionics differences, and troubleshooting courses. At capacity, the new academy is equipped to handle approximately 7,500 students annually in the Wichita location.

To its maintenance academy customers, TRU Simulation + Training brings over 25 years of serving the military market’s aircraft maintenance training needs. Some of the defense platforms the company continues to support include the C-17 Globemaster transport aircraft, the F-22 Raptor fighter jet and the B- Lancer bomber. Offered Kyle Crooks, vice president and general manager of the Mission and Maintenance Training division for TRU Simulation + Training, “Our aircraft maintenance training program for civilians is shaped by the same strict requirements and standards that form our programs for the military. No one offering aircraft maintenance training today has a greater appreciation for flight preparedness than we do.”