Video of the Week: Boeing's Unmanned Little Bird: Flexible Autonomy from Land and Sea
Events: New England Career Fair 3/7/2013
Latest NAA News: General Electric (GE) Graduation
Industry News: Bell 525 Lab Simulator Allows Fly-by-wire Trials
New England Career Fair 3/7/2013
On Thursday, March 7, 2013, National Aviation Academy (NAA) will open its doors from 9 AM - 2 PM at our 150 Hanscom Drive location in Bedford, Massachusetts for the March Career Fair. Company representatives will be on site taking resumes and interviewing current and prospective certified A&P technicians. This event is military friendly. For additional information contact Miles Tranchina at 1-800-292-3228.
Companies scheduled to attend:
Pratt & Whitney
FAA
UPS
Middlesex Community College
Aerotek
PSA Airlines
Cape Air
Abel Womack
United States Air Force
Atlas
March Madness Open House 3/23/2013
Both the Tampa Bay and New England campuses are hosting an open house for March Madness on Saturday, March 23, 2013. The event will be held from 9AM - 3PM.
Aero Club of New England (ACONE) Scholarship 2013
In the spring of 1984, the Aero Club began its Education Scholarship Program. In 1987, ACONE awarded its first two scholarships for advanced pilot training with a value of $2,000 each. Thanks to the hard work of the Education Committee and the generosity of the Aero Club members thirteen scholarships were awarded this past year to students in various aviation disciplines. Some were pursuing careers in pilot training, engineering, aeronautics, astronautics and aircraft maintenance. In all these scholarships totaled $25,500. Winners were studying at various institutions including: Bridgewater State University, MIT and NAA.
Although these scholarships are not exclusive to NAA students, we have at least one winner every year. Please have your application in by the deadline of March 31, 2013.
Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) Due 4/15/2013
If you have any questions please contact your location's Financial Aid department. For information regarding the FAFSA, click here. If you have forgotten your 4-digit PIN, or need to request one, click here. Contact info:
New England - 1.800.292.3228, Mon-Thur 8:30 AM - 8:00 PM, Sat 8:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Tampa Bay - 1.800.659.2080, Mon-Thur 8:00 AM - 9:00 PM, Fri 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM, Sat 8:00 AM - 3:00 PM
School Codes:
New England - 006136
Tampa Bay - 030359
GE Graduation
Tom Suslak receives a certificate of completion as well as a perfect attendance certificate, presented by NAA Director of Education Steve Bender.
Last Wednesday, NAA graduated the first two classes designed for GE employees. NAA entered into negations with GE almost a year ago to devise an educational program for GE employees looking to advance their careers to the assembly teams for turbine engines. As a result, NAA culminated a six-month powerplant course, which covered and met the requirements needed for the advancement for this particular department. In total, all 51 GE employees successfully passed the class with more than half receiving perfect attendance.
DOE Steve Bender presents Tina Blangiardi with a certificate of completion and perfect attendance during the GE graduation on February 21st.
To celebrate the students’ success, a small graduation ceremony was held in one of the GE classrooms, where refreshments were served, certificates were awarded, and speeches were delivered. NAA congratulates Jim Mitchell for writing the literature for this program and for his dedication to carry it through instruction. Also, NAA thanks Mike Pecoraro for his teaching assistance, and Marsha Deal-Brown for taking care of all the business needs. Lastly, NAA thanks GE for a solid partnership, specifically Cara Urban (GE Human Resources), for assisting in the logistics that went in to making this educational program a great success.
Former NAA Alumni Reunite at GE
Jim Tyrell stands proud between his ECAT (Class 900) classmates Tim Wilkins (left) and Idy Adaulphus (right). (photo: Allison Cammarata)
NAA New England’s Assistant Director of Education Jim Tyrell reunited with two former classmates from when he attended East Coast Aero-Tech, now NAA. Jim reconvened with Tim Wilkins and Idy Adaulphus at the graduation ceremony for a new course facilitated by NAA for current GE employees.
Jim was ecstatic to see his friends and spoke about many exciting changes that NAA has undergone since their attendance. He shared stories about his career in aviation since they graduated as members of ECAT Class 900. Jim had the special opportunity to hear about Tim and Idy’s experiences and career growth at GE. He was given a limited tour of the large campus and viewed a prototype for one of the new engines GE has starting to assemble. Jim is very proud of his classmate’s achievements and their role in GE’s projects. Tim and Idy are testaments to current and future students as well as proof that the field of aviation seems small and the paths of coworkers and friends will continually cross. NAA congratulates Tim and Idy for their continued success in aviation, and thanks Jim Tyrell for his work ensuring students receive a quality education.
Bell 525 Lab Simulator Allows Fly-by-wire Trials
Bell engineers are continuing to develop the fly-by-wire flight controls for the Bell 525 through a system integration lab cockpit simulator in Fort Worth. The helicopter will feature a low-slung instrument panel with four Garmin G5000H screens, futuristic sidesticks and plunging cockpit side windows for excellent visibility.
The Bell 525 is flying off the coast of California en route to the main runway at Camp Pendleton. I beep the fingertip switch on the sidestick collective to slow for a smooth landing, thanks to the new helicopter’s coupled fly-by-wire (FBW) controls.
I’m not in the real helicopter–it won’t fly until next year–but rather in a cockpit simulator called the SIL (system integration lab) CAB at Bell headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas. Here in this oversized no-motion device, Bell engineers are tweaking the FBW control laws for the new super-medium twin. They’re about 80 percent done, according to Troy Caudill, Bell’s principal experimental test pilot. “We have some work cut out for us, but we are getting there,” he said.
Caudill is working with a bank of engineers, seated at mission control-style control consoles behind us, to finish the job, including all the engine data and the mechanical response characteristics. Some of those await component completion. Caudill cautioned that the SIL CAB does not quite fly like the real thing. “This is a development tool,” he said. “This is not the final cut.” Nevertheless, just sitting in it and manipulating the controls, you come away with a feeling of just how radically different this helicopter will be.
Bell 525 “Relentless” Program Changing Bell Culture
Bell’s “Relentless” Model 525 is being designed digitally, using Dassault Systemes’ Catia v6 and Enovia software. It will feature fly-by-wire flight controls and Garmin’s G5000H touch-screen-controlled flight deck.
The super-medium Bell Helicopter “Relentless” Model 525, announced at Heli-Expo’12, is not just an ambitious new program, it is a catalyst for changing the culture of the company, said Larry Thimmesch, Bell’s vice president of commercial programs. “There are many new things on this program, not just in terms of product but also in terms of process and cultural change,” he said. The 525 features fly-by-wire flight controls and will be equipped with Garmin’s new G5000H touch-screen-controlled flight deck.
The process and cultural changes include how the aircraft is designed and built. Engineers are drawing the 525 digitally, using Dassault Systemes’ Catia v6 and Enovia software. “This is a paperless aircraft, which is new for us,” said Thimmesch. The new software streamlines the design-build cycle, he said. “This is the first project designing an aircraft in the digital environment with Enovia and Catia v6, which is new in the industry, and other major OEMs are watching us pilot these tools through the program to learn from the process.”
Bell (Booth No. N5612) is not relying solely on virtual data to validate its design. Like many other OEMs, it has system integration labs devoted to the new aircraft. What is different, Thimmesch said, is how early in the process labs were implemented. “We have never had one running this early in a program before and this is all about our focus on learning. The sooner we can learn, the more mature the product will be, and the less change we will have later.”
For more information about our graduation rates, the median debt of students who completed the program, and other important information, please visit our website at, http://www.naa.edu/programs/gainful_employment.
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The Black Eagles Korean aerobatic team performs at Air Tattoo-2012, Fairford, U.K. (Photo by: Marina Lystseva/Moscow, Russia)
