To fulfil market need, a substantial investment has been made to inaugurate three new, state-of-the-art, bespoke training rooms at its Heathrow maintenance base. The EASA approved classrooms each have a capacity of 12-16 students and will be used to deliver theoretical and practical training elements dedicated to B787, A380 and the Airbus A318/9/20/21 variants.
The British Airways B787 training facility is the world’s first, outside those currently provided by Boeing. Both the B787 and A380 rooms will initially be used to prepare British Airways for its entry into service of the next generation aircraft, which are due to take to the skies in 2013. It is planned to make these facilities available to commercial customers seeking the advanced technical training required to serve these aircraft variants in the near future.
To enhance and modernise the learning experience, the classrooms are all equipped with the latest technology. This includes ‘virtual technology’ which is able to simulate aspects of the aircraft’s mechanical and avionic systems behaviour. This means engineers can explore and understand their workings from the comfort of the classroom.
David Smyth Manager Engineering Training, British Airways said: “The advanced technologies and materials used in the Boeing and Airbus next generation aircraft require a new level of skill and technical expertise. As British Airways gets ready to become the first airline to have both the A380 and B787 in service next year, we need to ensure all our engineers are ‘match fit’. These new ultramodern facilities are evidence of our investment in the future and reflect the change needed in how technical training is shaped and delivered to serve these aircraft.”
British Airways is EASA 147 approved to deliver aircraft training, specialist training and Part 66 basic skills training for category A, B and C licences. Training is delivered by a team of highly experienced instructors.ng consultancy services
