Grant Puts Parts and Tools Into the Hands of AMS Students

When Assistant Professor Christopher Lee showed parents around the Turbine Engines Lab during Family Weekend, the General Electric J85 engines commanded attention. Also on display were fuel pumps, gearboxes and tools specific to the J85, thanks to an Aviation Maintenance Science (AMS) grant. Little did Lee know that one of the parents on the tour — Karen Hill, mother to AMS student Jonathan Hill (’25) — worked with the private foundation that funded the acquisition.

“It was exciting to see where the money was going and to be able to report back on how helpful the grant really is,” Hill said.

The J85 program is a little over two years old and continues to expand. Jonathan Hill will be one of the student mechanics who will gain expertise with the operation, inspection and overhaul of turbine jet engines like the J85, working with the associated parts and tools that the engine lab can now provide. Hands-on familiarity with a core piece of civilian and military aviation technology is one way we ensure our AMS graduates are competitive.

“My goal is to give students training in overhaul maintenance and line maintenance with an array of engines, so we send more complete turbine engine maintainers to the workforce. All FAR Part 147 schools have to have an operating jet engine. We have 20, with 12 in the lab due to limited space. The fact that we are building engines that can be operational puts us above other schools in the country,” Lee said.

The J85 program also works with the XR lab on projects that incorporate virtual and augmented reality training. There is also a cross-disciplinary effort to incorporate Six Sigma methodology underway. Students have the opportunity to become certified as Six Sigma White Belts.

The resources and results from the AMS program have not gone unnoticed in the aviation community. According to Lee, "We have an outstanding reputation in the industry. People from many companies visit the lab. In the past year, we have welcomed delegates from three different countries."