{"id":21983,"date":"2022-05-08T14:08:39","date_gmt":"2022-05-08T14:08:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/saj.pachecostudios.com?p=21983"},"modified":"2022-05-08T14:38:31","modified_gmt":"2022-05-08T14:38:31","slug":"aviation-training-academy-of-the-future-coming-to-nj-thanks-to-unique-partnership","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/state-news\/new-jersey\/aviation-training-academy-of-the-future-coming-to-nj-thanks-to-unique-partnership\/%20","title":{"rendered":"Aviation Training Academy of the Future Coming to NJ Thanks to Unique Partnership"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Photo above – Representatives of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the Atlantic County Economic Alliance from New Jersey, the U.S. Air Force, and the National Aerospace Research & Technology Park gather to finalize a memorandum of understanding to conceive and build the Aviation Academy of the Future at the NARTP\u2019s first building in December of 2021.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Aviation Training Academy of the Future will be located\nwithin New Jersey\u2019s Aviation Innovation Hub, just 10 miles northwest of\nAtlantic City, as long as a unique partnership among industry, government,\nmilitary, and academic leaders can bring the dream to fruition. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With next-generation commercial aircraft on the drawing\nboards of manufacturers around the world and the rapid growth of unmanned\naerial systems (UAS or drones) and advanced air mobility (AAM or air taxis),\nnow is the time to imagine and build the Aviation Training Academy of the\nFuture (ATAF).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In December of 2021, a memorandum of understanding (MOU) was signed by representatives of the Atlantic County Economic Alliance<\/a> (ACEA), Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, and the U.S. Air Force 305th Maintenance Group of Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst to work together to develop the ATAF. The hybrid academy will provide traditional Part 147 aviation maintenance technician training while also preparing students for skills needed in emerging technologies, including Unmanned Aerial Systems and Advanced Air Mobility technologies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following the signing of the MOU, the Air Force 305th\nMaintenance Group hosted ACEA, Embry-Riddle, and Federal Aviation\nAdministration (FAA) officials on January 26, 2022, to brainstorm the ATAF and\ntour the aviation maintenance operations at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst,\nN.J.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBy bringing this world-class, leading-edge aviation training\nacademy to Atlantic County, we are joining forces with some true \u2018heavyweights\u2019\nto broaden and diversify our regional economy,\u201d said Lauren H. Moore, President\nof the ACEA. \u201cAt the same time, we are adding another critical component to our\nAviation Innovation Hub, as the Aviation Academy of the Future will be\nneighbors with the William J. Hughes FAA Technical Center, the Atlantic City\nInternational Airport (ACY), and the National Aerospace Research &\nTechnology Park.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ACEA is working closely with the South Jersey\nTransportation Authority, which oversees operations of ACY, to develop air\ncargo and aircraft maintenance and repair operations at the airport, which is a\nSmart Airport Testbed facility. The success of these operations will be dependent\non the availability of a skilled workforce and the ATAF can help to fill that\nneed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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All photos – The U.S. Air Force 305th Maintenance Group hosted ACEA, Embry-Riddle, NARTP, and FAA officials on January 26, 2022, to brainstorm the ATAF and tour the aviation maintenance operations at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J. <\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The ATAF will train students, both U.S. Air Force personnel\nand civilians, for career opportunities within the aviation industry, ranging\nfrom aerial port, supply chain management, cargo, and unmanned aerial systems.\nPlus, students will learn skills that are transferable to the repair and\nmaintenance of wind-energy turbines, which will be critical to meeting the\nstate\u2019s clean energy goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Further differentiating the ATAF from traditional Aircraft\nMaintenance Technician Schools, Embry-Riddle is considering the incorporation\ninto the academy\u2019s curriculum of \u201cgreen\u201d trends in aviation, including\nsustainability, electrification of propulsion systems, developments in battery\ntechnology, the use of composite materials in aviation, and the importance of\ncyber security to protect aircraft from hacking threats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

U.S.A.F. Master Sgt. Austin Barkdoll, 305th Maintenance\nGroup senior process manager, sees the ATAF as an opportunity for the Air Force\nto share best practices with their civilian industry counterparts about how\neach party equips, maintains, and operates aircraft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cWe can take those best practices and see if it would be a\ngood fit in the Air Force and Department of Defense. Likewise, our civilian\npartners can take our best practices to learn how we train and maintain,\u201d said\nBarkdoll, who added that the benefits don\u2019t end there. \u201cA really important part\nof this partnership is developing a new method and a new style of teaching, leveraging\nnew technologies like virtual reality and augmented reality to teach\nmaintainers faster and with more information.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

FAA Research and Development Management Division manager Jon\nD. Schleifer was among the officials who attended the planning session at Joint\nBase MDL in January. \u201cThe meeting was pivotal as it showcased how the\ngovernment is innovating with industry in an effort to train future Airmen and\nmaintenance technicians in a manner that benefits New Jersey and our national\naviation system. It is our desire to participate in innovative approaches to\nenhance an aviation workforce of the future.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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FAA regulations dictate what Aircraft Maintenance Technician\nSchools teach aspiring aircraft mechanics. The FAA is aware of the need to both\nmodernize the training of aviation maintenance skills while developing\ncurriculum to advance the incorporation of drones and air mobility technology\ninto the national airspace system. The fact that the ATAF could be taking\nflight next door to the William Hughes FAA Technical Center in NJ\u2019s Aviation\nInnovation Hub, where FAA researchers can have an active hand in its\ndevelopment only improves the project\u2019s chances to come to fruition in the near\nfuture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To date, Embry-Riddle has completed an initial planning\nstudy for the ATAF. The plan includes recommendations for curriculum and other\nelements needed to create a state\u00e2\u0080\u0090of\u00e2\u0080\u0090the\u00e2\u0080\u0090art facility. In this capacity,\nEmbry-Riddle will work closely with Atlantic Cape Community College, which\noperates an aviation program and will also be a partner in the ATAF project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The results of the Embry-Riddle study could be used to\nsecure additional funding to cover the capital costs of constructing the ATAF.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Earlier this year, the ACEA submitted a request for a $5\nmillion congressional appropriation to be used for design and construction\nactivity on the project. A preliminary cost estimate to construct the 40,000-\nto 50,000-sq.-ft. facility is $15 million. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With or without the congressional appropriation, additional\nmonies needed to complete the project in future years will come from a variety\nof potential sources, including government grants, a local Opportunity Zone\ninvestment group (the Aviation Innovation Hub is located with a federal\nOpportunity Zone and within New Jersey\u2019s only designated Aviation District),\nand industry partners, some of whom have provided letters of support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Air Force is one of many entities, both public and\nprivate, with aircraft maintenance training needs that could be met by the\nproposed academy. There is currently a growing shortage of aviation maintenance\nworkers in the United States with the bulk of the current workforce approaching\nretirement age. Boeing estimates nearly 120,000 new technicians will be needed\nin North America over the next two decades, predicting ongoing strong demand\nfor aviation industry jobs during that time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of the aviation companies that would benefit from the\nadvanced technology training being considered for the curriculum of the ATAF\nare also among the top prospects to occupy the 58-acre National Aerospace\nResearch & Technology Park (NARTP), which is also located within New\nJersey\u2019s Aviation Innovation Hub. That synergy has not been lost on NARTP\nPresident Howard Kyle, who has been an active participant in the planning\nmeetings for the ATAF. The first of seven multi-story buildings that will\ncomprise the NARTP is fully occupied and groundbreaking for a second building\nwill take place this summer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis effort benefits the U.S. Air Force, the future\nmaintainers of aircraft, and southern New Jersey,\u201d the FAA\u2019s Schleifer said.\n\u201cEach partner has a motivation for pursuing shared success: however, when our\ninterests align, we can move forward, farther, and faster to benefit all… We\nall are seeking to build an aviation workforce for the future.\u201d  <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Photo above – Representatives of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the Atlantic County Economic Alliance from New Jersey, the U.S. Air Force, and the National Aerospace Research & Technology Park gather to finalize a memorandum of understanding to conceive and build the Aviation Academy of the Future at the NARTP\u2019s first building in December of 2021. The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":21984,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[98,51],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21983","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-aviation-education","category-new-jersey"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/usaf-crop.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21983","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21983"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21983\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21993,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21983\/revisions\/21993"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21984"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21983"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21983"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateaviationjournal.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21983"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}