The big picture
In 2019, the Leonardo customer base for the popular AW139 and 169 was continuing to expand, and the company recognized that it needed more training capacity in the Western Hemisphere to meet rising demand. The company made a commitment to the industry that it would have a training facility built, opened, and operational in the U.S. by Q1 2021. In the spring of 2020 when the global pandemic hit, one might think that development of the new academy would have been suspended, but it was not. “Once COVID hit, we took the opportunity to reprogram our construction team and we pushed into this to achieve one thing,” and that was to complete the project, said Terry Eichman, the U.S. academy’s head of training operations. “And in the first quarter of this year we were fully functional, capable, certified, and delivering training. We are fortunate to have that team, and it’s not lost on me or our organization of that achievement in that time frame.”
The new 63,000-square-foot U.S.-based training facility is set up to serve virtually every sector of the industry. Those sectors include air ambulance, law enforcement, military, corporate, and offshore oil support to name a few. Geographically, the academy is located to primarily serve Leonardo operators and clients in the Americas, which includes Canada, the U.S., and Central and South America.
Uniquely, the company does not see training merely as a side product that’s required after purchasing one of its helicopters, but as an extension of a partnership between the OEM and the operator. “Leonardo Customer Support and Training (CS&T) is about valued, long-lasting relationships with our customers and partners. Training is an integral part of the mutual commitment that fills a continued safety performance connection,” said Vittorio Della Bella, Leonardo’s senior vice president of CS&T.
The U.S. facility is designed to provide highly technical training to both pilots and mechanics. Its current training courses center around operators who are flying AW139, 169, 119, and 109 aircraft. The academy will soon be introducing a curriculum for the AW609 that will include maintenance, avionics, electrical, and pilot training programs. Currently the academy is open six days per week, and it is anticipated that approximately 1,200 customers will be trained this year. Giving a glimpse into the future, Eichman indicated that “With our current space, staff and capabilities, we are programmed to handle approximately 3,000 customers per year.”
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Sept/Oct 2021
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