New Training Opportunities for Aviation Maintenance Students

On Monday, Nov. 28, 2016 WSU Tech took ownership of its first business jet, the Cessna Citation CJ1. The Citation was purchased through a special agreement with Textron Financial Corporation facilitated by Ian Minaert, Director of Asset Sales, and Cody Denton, Manager of Aircraft Sales. The plane made her last flight from Eisenhower International (ICT) to Colonel James Jabara airport (AAO) thanks to pilot Vincent Fuschetti, Owner of Rangeflyers Inc., who generously donated his skills and time to deliver the plane safely to WSU Tech’s main campus the National Center for Aviation Training (NCAT).

This aircraft provides a technological leap forward from what WSU Tech currently has in its already impressive fleet including a C90 King Air, a Cessna 414, a Beechcraft Bonanza, a Piper Navajo, Cessna 210 and Cessna 172RG, 172, 172TD and three 152s.

The CJ1 is a 5 passenger business jet with a 1,238-mile nautical range. This 2002 plane is a low-wing cantilever monoplane with retractable trailing-link tricycle landing gear, a pressurized cabin, a T-tail and Williams-Rolls Royce FJ-44-1A engines that produce 1929 lbs. of thrust. The plane will be utilized by the Aviation Maintenance program to train in the following:

• Hydraulic Landing Gear Retraction/Extension Operations and Training
  • Anti-Skid system
  • Landing Gear ‘Swing’
• Complete Up-To-Date Position Lights Operations and Training
  • Expose students to new airways identification protocols
• Master Caution & Warning System for both airframe/engine Operations and Training
  • Introduce students to advanced integrated avionics/electronics warning systems
• Modern Electrical System Architecture for both airframe/engine Operations and Training
  • Acquaint students with updated philosophy of power distribution systems
• Combination Electric/Pneumatic Ice & Rain for both airframe/engine Operations and Training
  • Electric, Bleed Air, and Inflation Boot in one aircraft
  • Electrically heated windscreens and fuselage sensors
• Glass Cockpit Avionics featuring Collins Proline 21 Display & Control System Familiarization Operations and Training
  • Simulate Airways Navigation system operation while static on ground using Flight Director and 3-axis autopilot driven by existing test equipment
  • Access to onboard airframe diagnostics to facilitate troubleshooting instruction
  • Ability to simulate Flight operation while static on ground
  • Weather Radar, radar altimeter
  • EGPWS, TCAS, AHARS, AOA
• EFIS (Electronic Flight Instrument System) for both airframe/engine
• Modern automatic preflight systems checks
  • Familiarize students with modern ground preflight operation
• Integral fuel tanks
  • New experience not before available in our aircraft
• Vapor-cycle cooling
  • Ability to cool avionics/electrical system components for longer ground operation
• Turbofan operation and instruction on aircraft
  • On aircraft installation familiarization and training
  • Ability to provide inspection and troubleshooting with borescope training
• Up-to-Date Fire Protection
  • Expose students to on-aircraft detection and protection systems
• Turbofan engine function and operation on aircraft
• RVSM (Reduced Vertical Separation Minimum) system for Federal Aviation Administration
• (FAA) NexGen training
• Cabin pressurization

WSU Tech would like to thank the Textron Financial Corporation and Rangeflyers Inc. for making the acquisition of this plane possible.