Students in Fort Myers Technical College Turbine Generator Maintenance, Inspection and Repair program are getting hands on experience thanks to the US Navy. The Navy just donated two H-60 Helicopter Engines to Fort Myers Tech.
“Having these engines really helps illustrate (on a smaller scale) what a powerplant does, which solidifies the education given here, and it gives us the boost we need to send this program further,” says FMTC Turbine Instruction Todd Regan.
The T700 military turboshafts have earned a reputation for exceptional performance in combat and under the worst environmental conditions. Designed to be rugged, reliable and easily maintainable, current T700 models apply advanced technology to an experience base of 50 million hours of operation.
The -701C powers the Sikorsky H-60 Black Hawk and the Boeing AH-64 Apaches. Sikorsky H-60 Seahawk naval and search and rescue variants are designed specifically for the marine environment.
These engines provide practical experience the students need in the workforce. It will show the different stages of compression from low to high. Students will learn where fuel and air is atomized and mixed to provide combustion when an ignitor is introduced. Finally, they’ll be able to see how the turbine performs, what it powers, and the subsystems along with it.
“Partnerships occur at all levels, and we are extremely excited to have received this generous donation from the US Navy,” says Fort Myers Technical College Director John Roszell. “Equipment like this is hard to come by and will make an immediate and sustained impact on our TGM program.”
