FAA partnership rekindles 50-year-old legacy Published Feb. 10, 2023 By George Woodward 82nd TRW Public Affairs SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- The 82nd Training Wing and the Federal Aviation Administration recently signed a training agreement that resurrects a 50-year-old relationship between the two agencies. The first FAA technician is slated to begin training Feb. 27 in the 364th Training Squadron’s Cisco Unified Communications Manager course. Future students will also participate in the Fiber Optic Cable Installation, Splicing, and Maintenance course. “We’re only looking at three students at any one time for now, but we expect that number to grow over time,” said Buddy Vogel, the chief of training support at the 364 TRS, “and while this is only two courses, we have a total of 12 to offer potentially.” Vogel said that in the 1970s and 80s, Sheppard supported about 90 FAA students per year. “These partnerships offer a lot of benefit to both sides,” Vogel said. “Our FAA partners get access to established, proven training without the logistical effort and cost of setting up their own. For us, it helps us ensure classes are full and provides an opportunity for our courses to grow,” he said. “Probably most importantly, it allows cross-sharing of experiences and perspectives, and we end up learning from each other.” For now, FAA technicians will have the opportunity to fill any available seats in the two classes, with the possibility of expanding attendance as the partnership grows.