Profiles: Flightsafety International

Maintenance technician training at FlightSafety International goes far beyond basic technical instruction. FlightSafety courses emphasize safety, dispatch reliability and professional development, resulting in ever higher levels of technician achievement.

"All FlightSafety technician training is developed in close concert with aircraft manufacturers," says Doug Bowen, worldwide director of maintenance training sales for FlightSafety. "They want the safest operation and the highest possible dispatch reliability for their aircraft. We obtain airframe and maintenance data directly from the manufacturers, and they audit our courses to ensure that the information is accurately presented and up to date."

Committed to MX Training

FlightSafety offers maintenance training for a broad range of fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft, including four maintenance-only Learning Centers for technician training. In the past year, the company more than doubled the training capacity of its Gulfstream Maintenance Learning Center in Savannah, Ga., giving it the capacity to train up to 5,000 technicians per year.

FlightSafety operates dedicated maintenance training centers in Wichita, Kan., for Cessna and Hawker Beechcraft aircraft and in Little Rock, Ark., for Dassault Falcon jets.

Training to Excel

Recognizing that simply maintaining your skills limits your possibilities, FlightSafety worked with Global Jet Services to develop a series of professional development courses that emphasize human factors in aviation maintenance. These programs are based on the understanding that customer service, business operations, personnel management and government regulations are everyday considerations in today’s increasingly demanding maintenance sector.

Masters of the Profession

The innovative and prestigious Master Technician program is a prime example of FlightSafety training that advances technician skills and value while improving the flight department bottom line. The five-step program, now available for most aircraft models, results in a highly qualified, efficient and self-motivated technician who is capable not only of ensuring safe operation but of increasing dispatch reliability.

It begins with an initial type-specific training course, then examines updates on that aircraft. Next are engine run, taxi training and troubleshooting. It concludes with operational maintenance procedures, featuring intense scenarios that challenge the technician to quickly return the aircraft to service. All along, the technician must reach a higher standard — not just a passing one — of 90 percent or more on written and hands-on exams.

"Technicians view this training as a way to challenge themselves," Bowen says. "It increases their knowledge and helps ensure that their aircraft are maintained to the highest standards for safety and reliability."

Career Management

Technicians who seek to move up the organizational ladder into positions of increasing responsibility take advantage of Master Technician Management Endorsement training to give their career a boost. At the same time, this training represents a competitive advantage for flight departments and FBOs, which have realized great value in investing in a highly motivated and proficient staff.

"It’s a win, win, win for the technician, the employer and the industry," Bowen says. "The Master Technician training goes a long way toward improving safety and reducing downtime."

FlightSafety International is the world’s premier aviation training organization. More than 75,000 pilots, technicians and other aviation professionals train at FlightSafety facilities each year. The company designs and manufactures full flight simulators for civil and military aircraft programs and operates the world’s largest fleet of advanced full flight simulators at 40 training locations.