2 min read Training

Jet Engine Maintenance Class

Jet Engine Maintenance Class
Checking out the bore scope

During JAARS Pre-Field Orientation training, I (Brad) am gaining significantly more experience in aircraft maintenance and inspection than I ever did in the Air Force. While my day-to-day job won't directly involve maintenance, I anticipate being involved in ensuring the aircraft's continued airworthiness. We recently completed an intensive week and a half-long course on the PT6A jet engine, the engine used on the Kodiak planes in Papua New Guinea.

We learned the intricacies of the engine's operation, practiced various maintenance and inspection procedures, and disassembled the engine to examine and repair components. We even had the opportunity to start and diagnose problems using the JAARS engine run training stand. This was a new and very valuable experience for me.

Here are a few pictures and videos from our class.

Bore scoping the engine; you can see the turbine blades on the screen
The gas generator case
Checking fuel nozzles for proper operation and flow pattern. If the nozzles aren't flowing correctly, they will quickly damage the engine
Preparing the engine run stand

This is the engine starting. You can here the events of the start happening:
1. The fuel pump running
2. The ignitor clicking
3. The starter begins turning the engine
4. Light-off of the engine after the operator adds fuel

PT6A Engine Run Test Stand
Grinding the compressor turbine ring to get it back to perfectly round
Another angle of the grinding process

A classmate grinding out the compressor turbine ring

A classmate grinding out the compressor turbine ring
Re-assembling the engine after the class had it apart for inspection and repair