In May, it was announced that the university’s National Institute of Aviation Research (NIAR) WERX and Erickson Precision would perform as many as 24 conversions a year from 2023, and at a ceremony on 18 August, the two parties announced their collaboration for the A321.
Calling the partnership a unique opportunity to add a conversion centre to 321 Precision Conversions’ network, Gary Warner, President of Erickson Precision Ventures, says, “The scale of the operations here in Wichita are truly impressive, and seeing the level of support from Wichita State University levels gives us all the confidence in the future of the programme.”
David Jones, Executive Director of NIAR WERX, adds, “The agreement with Erickson Precision Ventures allows us to continue to train and prepare Wichita State and WSU Tech students for careers in aviation maintenance and engineering, while expanding the expertise and capability of the Wichita and Kansas workforce.”
The programme will involve students in the Get to WERX programme, an earn-and-learn programme offering full-time, paid employment with NIAR WERX while working through the university’s Aviation Maintenance Technology programme and earning credits towards the Bachelor of Applied Science degree in Organizational Leadership and Learning.
The announcement was attended by special guests including US Senator Jerry Moran, Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson, and Erickson Founder Jack Erickson.
Having been in the conversion business since 2001, Erickson called the project unique, saying, “The opportunity to plan and execute maintenance and modifications for our businesses, collaboratively with NIAR WERX, offers the potential to meld their research, engineering and technical resources to better serve our customers for the next 20 years.”
Masterson says the project is important to the State of Kansas, saying, “In addition to helping prepare WSU students for the real world through applied learning in the aviation sector, the program continues the trajectory of ensuring that the MRO infrastructure will be rebuilt and maintained in Kansas over the long haul.”