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The 412th Maintenance Squadron, in partnership with the Muroc Joint Unified School District, has been providing a tailored training program in the areas of Aircraft Metals Technology and Aircraft Structural Maintenance to local high school students.
The Structural Maintenance Awareness Program is a highly sought-after elective class for students with an interest or inclination for maintenance. It was initially designed for Desert High School students at their senior year, but in 2023, the program was expanded to include Boron High School, which is outside Edwards Air Force Base.
“In 2023, we wanted to expand the program, so we partnered with the Muroc school district to include Boron because it’s in close proximity to the installation, many of the students have heard about the program and wanted to participate,” said Nathan M. Dixon, Director of the 412th Maintenance Squadron.
It’s a year-long program, and for the 2024-2025 school year, classes take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 1-3 p.m.
“In my family, we grew up tinkering down engines and cars, so when I started this class I thought ‘this is sick.’ When, I got the opportunity to come here, I couldn’t pass it,” said Melody Knight, a Boron High School student currently attending the program.
Students start at the Machine Shop, where they learn how to create metal parts, such as nuts, bolts and threads. By the end of the AMT course, students are able to read blueprints, operate and maintain the machines, and adhere to safety standards while working.
“For the Machine Shop part of the program, the students were given a piece of blank stock, two-and-a-half-inch round aluminum, about six inches long, and the project is to turn it into a giant nut and bolt. The nut and bolt project was used as a third-year engineering project for students at Fresno State,” said Owen McCallister, Chief of the Machine Shop. “The only difference is that instead of drawing the nut and bolt, they are given the drawings, but they still have to make it to the same standards.”
After the students complete the AMT course, they move on to the ASM course, which is tailored specifically for aircraft maintenance.
In the Sheet Metal Shop, students learn how to repair the metal body of an aircraft that is scratched, cracked, dented, or damaged by corrosion. By the end of the ASM course, students are able to cut out the damaged area, fabricate a patch of the same shape, size and thickness, and secure the patch with rivets.
“What we are doing is creating a simulation of the aircraft body, adding damage to it, so they can practice removing the damage, replacing the part that has been damaged, and then preparing it,” said Senior Airman Franklin Houston, instructor in the Sheet Metal Shop.
The goal of the program is to prepare students for either an entry-level maintenance job or a maintenance class at the college level.
“The fact that I’m able to come here and work with these gib pieces of machinery, I find that just phenomenal. I love it. Although this is technically a learning environment, this is also a shop environment. This is temporary. I really wish it wasn’t, but it is,” said Nathan Strickhouser, a Desert High School student currently attending the program.
Parents and students attending Muroc JUSD can inquire about the program by calling 760-769-4821.
| Date Taken: | 12.03.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 12.03.2024 14:29 |
| Story ID: | 486499 |
| Location: | EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 15 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Edwards partnered with schools to offer a maintenance hands-on class to local students, by Laisa Leao, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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