The soon-to-launch Aviation Maintenance Technology (AMT) program operated jointly by Marshall University and Mountwest Community & Technical College in Huntington, W.Va., will be the first Part 147 school in the United States to use a virtual reality system to meet FAA training requirements for aviation paint and coating labs.
In early July 2021, the program received the go-ahead from the FAA to deploy the new system that simulates an aviation paint shop environment, according to officials. The system also allows instructors greater ability to simulate diverse painting scenarios and measure students’ abilities, including metrics such as millimeters of paint thickness, cost of materials used, gun distance, overspray, and angle in relation to the parts being painted.
As with all instructional aides and equipment for aviation training, the virtual 3D paint system will be evaluated during the FAA design performance phase of Marshall’s certification to ensure it meets federal requirements.
Manufactured by VirtualPaint Products of Cedar Falls, Iowa, it is the same training system used by the U.S. Air Force’s Air Education and Training Command at facilities such as Hill Air Force Base in Utah as well as the U.S. Coast Guard’s Aviation Technical Training Center in North Carolina.
“This innovative, virtual-reality system will save our program considerable money by eliminating the need for consumables such as paint and personal protective gear while reducing setup and cleanup time,” said Jim Smith, interim director of the Marshall/Mountwest AMT program.
Located at Huntington Tri-State Airport, the AMT program’s inaugural class is scheduled to begin in January 2022. The program is a branch of Marshall University’s Division of Aviation, which also includes the Bill Noe Flight School at Yeager Airport in Charleston, W.Va., which will launch this August.
Excellent. Saves air and water pollution and allows FAA requirement and artistic talent development.
Painting models don’t have surface area often for complete development.