Putting the power into aircraft at the 361st TRS

Airman Brandon Janshen, Airman Dylan Guevara and Senior Airman Wyatt Paschal, 361 Training Squadron, practice the removal of a heat shield from an engine of a F-15 aircraft Aug. 03, 2012 at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas. Aerospace propulsion training is broken down into four apprentice courses. (US Air Force Photo by Frank Carter)

Putting the power into aircraft at the 361st TRS

Airman Spencer Corry, 361st Training Squadron, inspects the main fuel pump and main fuel control on a TF-34 engine off of an A-10 aircraft on August 03, 2012 at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas. Aerospace propulsion training is broken down into four apprentice courses. (US Air Force Photo by Frank Carter)

Putting the power into aircraft at the 361st TRS

Airman 1st Class Dabnell Morales-Sanchez and Airman Blake Wooten,361st Training Squadron, train to install a turbine exhaust case on a T-56 turbo prop Aug. 03, 2012 at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas. The T-56 engines are used to train turboprop basic mechanics. (US Air Force Photo by Frank Carter)

Putting power in the aircraft at the 361st TRS

Published Nov. 13, 2012
By Dan Hawkins
82nd Training Wing Public Affairs

SHEPPARD AIR FORCE BASE, Texas -- Training the Airmen who put the power in aircraft is the task of the instructors at the 361st Training Squadron's Aerospace Propulsion apprentice courses.

With four apprentice courses designed around turboprop and turbofan engine models, Airmen learn the basics about getting aircraft powered up to take to the skies and execute the Air Force mission.

Before Airmen are separated by the aircraft engine they will be specializing in, they undergo a 10 academic day fundamentals course, which covers forms, general jet engine theory and different engine types.

"We make sure the Airmen understand the very basic building blocks before they get to the hands-on portion of training," said Tech. Sgt. Jeffrey Delaney, 361st TRS propulsion instructor. "This way we can spend more time in the hands-on training focusing on the actual engine"

The turboprops apprentice course is geared towards students who will be working with the C-130 Hercules and helicopter engines. Airmen get hands-on training with T-56 engine throughout the course, which runs 62 academic days long.

The turbofan apprentice course is broken into three classes based on the engine types the Airmen will be working on out in the field.

The TF-34 course is designed for the KC-10 Extender, KC-135 Stratotanker, B-52 Stratofortress and A-10 Thunderbolt II engines and is 58 academic days long.

Students heading out to work with F-15 Eagles or F-16 Fighting Falcons will go through the F-100 course, focusing on Pratt-Whitney engines. This course covers 62 academic days.

For Airmen headed to the B-1 Lancer bomber, B-2 Spirit bombers or the U-2 reconnaissance aircraft, the will spend 62 academic days in the F-110 course, working on the General Electric engines.

The F-110 course also trains NATO students from the Royal Saudi Air Force and the Turkish Air Force.

One recent change that has altered training is the propulsion career field was split back into different Air Force Specialty Codes (AFSC) after an earlier merger.

"The career field needed experience to stay on both types of engines," Delaney said. "Some bases were suffering from a lack of experienced maintainers and a lack of continuity in the field, therefore we needed to go back and separate the turboprop and turbofan AFSC's."

The 361st TRS trains more than 4,900 Airmen annually in 45 different courses on aerospace ground equipment, metals technology, fuel systems, aircraft structural maintenance, survival equipment, egress systems, vehicle body repair and aircrew flight equipment.