Development of Laboratory Facility for Turboshaft Rotary Wing Aircraft

• Author(s): Jade Malvie C. Bareng ; Carl Michael R. Aguilar
• Paper ID: 1704670
• Page: 483-494
• Published Date: 17-06-2023
• Published In: Iconic Research And Engineering Journals
• Publisher: IRE Journals
• e-ISSN: 2456-8880
• Volume/Issue: Volume 6 Issue 12 June-2023

Abstract

The aviation industry faces many challenges and one of them is aircraft maintenance graduates who were unprepared and unqualified aviation maintenance personnel, as institutions offering these courses focus on fixed-wing aircraft during theoretical lectures and laboratory hands-on whilst most graduates find jobs in the general aviation sector where rotary wing aircraft are common. The Philippine State College of Aeronautics (PhilSCA) is an educational establishment that offers Aircraft Maintenance Technology and Helicopter Maintenance Operations as part of its curricula yet the mode of delivery is at a theoretical level and has yet to become a well-rounded program with targeted learning modalities; the establishment of a well-equipped turboshaft rotary wing aircraft laboratory is a step to prepare students and the faculty alike in the ever emerging field of aviation technology. This study has demonstrated the use of feedback from various individuals affiliated with—academe and civil aviation; Philippine State College Aeronautics’ faculty from the Aircraft Maintenance Technology Department, Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) personnel from the Training Organization Certification and Inspection Division (TOCID) Department and its existing standards, Philippine Civil Aviation Regulations (PCAR) and Commission on Higher Education (CHED) requirements to develop a comprehensive laboratory facility for turboshaft rotary wing aircraft. The study determines the following: governing bodies’ pre-requisite for the establishment of the laboratory facility, the level of instruction on Helicopter Maintenance Operations at the institution, and the likelihood of all-inclusive laboratory development. A four-point Likert survey was used in this study and was used on CHED standards and CAAP standards where the level of suitability, level of agreement, and level of awareness of the participants on the Helicopter Maintenance Operations laboratory inception was précised. There were 30 participants in this study who answered the survey questionnaire by using the mean distribution of the participants, the significant difference between CAAP and CHED Standards, and the summary mean distribution of the participants’ responses on the requirements approved facilities for the laboratory. The positive agreement on the institutional pre-requisite of laboratory facility, suitability of the school’s existing tools and equipment, and awareness on improvement on personnel and acquisition of technology. By using the frequency and percentage distribution, mean distribution of the participants on the requirements of the approved facilities for the laboratory, the conclusions, suggestions, and recommendations were ranked on their popularity and mentions from the research contributors, purchase of a helicopter unit as part of the laboratory facility equipment came in as first whilst an improvement on current was ranked last. The Key Informant Interview (KII) questionnaire was disseminated to select participants (as well as alumni) of the aircraft maintenance technology program from PhilSCA, an opine on student curricula, field experience, and observation as a fresh graduate to a certified aircraft mechanic was a purview during the interview. A cost-benefit analysis was included by the researcher to determine whether the benefit to the institution, its students, and its faculty outweighs the expenses of the laboratory facility development. The development of the turboshaft laboratory facility will benefit both students and faculty of the institutions. It is economical and will help PhilSCA to achieve the vision and mission to produce world-class Aeronautics professionals. The goal of the institution is to give and provide accredited training that can be applied for EASA or FAA license approval.

Citations

IRE Journals:
Jade Malvie C. Bareng , Carl Michael R. Aguilar "Development of Laboratory Facility for Turboshaft Rotary Wing Aircraft" Iconic Research And Engineering Journals Volume 6 Issue 12 2023 Page 483-494

IEEE:
Jade Malvie C. Bareng , Carl Michael R. Aguilar "Development of Laboratory Facility for Turboshaft Rotary Wing Aircraft" Iconic Research And Engineering Journals, 6(12)