SALINA — Kansas State University Polytechnic Campus is expanding its offerings to provide much-needed education for professionals in the field of aircraft certification.
Kansas State Polytechnic is launching a professional development program centered on the understanding and application of FAA regulations and processes used in aircraft type and production certification.
The courses will be taught as a combination of online and in person, with instruction beginning in January 2018.
Once the course is completed, which takes a year, students will receive a certificate from Kansas State Polytechnic’s professional education and outreach office. They also have the opportunity to earn 180 professional development hours.
“Aviation has been a cornerstone of this campus for more than 50 years and we’re proud to be able to build on our history while providing expertise to fill a need in the industry,” said Kurt Barnhart, associate dean of research and engagement for Kansas State Polytechnic. “There are emerging holes between professionals new to aircraft certification and those that have been on the job for numerous years and are skilled in this area. Many veteran employees are ready to retire, causing on-the-job training to taper off. These courses offer comprehensive, relevant education delivered by seasoned professionals to those who need to get up to speed quickly on the nuances of airworthiness and production certification.”
The aircraft certification program begins with an introductory course that provides an overview of the basic elements of the certification process, such as airframe, engine and aircraft components.
The next two courses, aircraft type and aircraft production, are considered electives and can both be taken, or students can choose just one area of focus.
Aircraft type covers a detailed examination of the design data process leading to issuing an airworthiness certificate.
Aircraft production explores the fundamentals of showing how products conform to an approved type design.
The final course will require students to apply their education from the previous courses to create a specialized project.
The online portion of each class is seven weeks and at the end of each, students will attend three days of in-person classes at the National Center for Aviation Training at Wichita Area Technical College.