GILZE-RIJEN, Netherlands, Oct. 3, 2011 — The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] has signed a teaming agreement with the Rotary Wing Training Center (RWTC) — a subsidiary of the Netherlands’ World Class Aviation Academy (WCAA) — to establish a state-of-the-art CH-47 Chinook helicopter maintenance training facility near the Dutch Gilze-Rijen Airbase. The training center will help address the needs of international Chinook operators.

“Our cooperation with the WCAA and the RWTC reflects Boeing’s commitment to international Chinook customers and re-emphasizes our dedication to provide quality training at an affordable price,” said Barbara Wilson, Boeing director of Army, Navy and Marine Corps Training. “This facility will allow international Chinook mechanics and technicians the opportunity to train closer to home.”

The training — set to begin in the first quarter of 2012 — will include current technical information and courseware tailored for CH-47 mechanics, technicians, pilots and crewmembers. The program will cover theory, troubleshooting and fault isolation, as well as maintenance and servicing. Students will receive practical training on a retired Chinook airframe, providing a more realistic learning experience.

“By partnering like this, we will establish a capability that addresses our customers’ growing need to have enough certified technicians available to keep their aircraft operationally safe and ready,” said Peter Huis in’t Veld, director of the WCAA.

In November 2009, Boeing and the WCAA teamed to provide both fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft maintenance training and pledged to work together to develop courses that meet the educational needs of the Netherlands aviation industry. The RWTC is the first facility and training program to result from that earlier agreement.

“As the original equipment manufacturer of the Chinook, Boeing has the technical specifications and engineering data for one of the most advanced rotorcraft platforms in the world,” added Wilson. “This in-depth knowledge gives Boeing unique insight into how the aircraft systems work together, allowing the company to team with the WCAA to develop the most reliable and cost-effective training solutions available.”

The training center will be located at Gate2, a platform established by Midpoint Brabant (the economic cooperation program of the Midden-Brabant region) for innovation and development in the aviation maintenance sector. The activities at Gate2, as well as the WCAA and Boeing collaboration, advance the World Class Maintenance initiative supported by the Dutch government to bolster the Netherlands’ position as a regional hub for military and civilian aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) and related training activities to grow the volume of MRO work in the Netherlands.

Source: Boeing
Photo: Rob Vogelaar, Z.A.P.P.