Airlink has donated a decommissioned Embraer 135 passenger aircraft to the Gauteng Department of Basic Education (GDE) for use in aviation skills training, by learners at Rhodesfield Engineering School of Specialisation (SOS) in Kempton Park.
The school offers courses in aviation skills within the GDE’s Engineering SOS initiative which is addressing the province’s critical engineering skills shortages as part of its economic development priorities.
“The aircraft will be an invaluable teaching aid for our Grade 11 and 12 learners taking aviation classes as their eighth matric subject. This year we have 45 learners (13 girls and 32 boys) across both grades that are enrolled. Most of them are from Tembisa,” said Caroline Ngxanga, Acting Principal of Rhodesfield Engineering SOS.
The airline is not the first in Africa to support aviation studies at school level. Earlier this year Kenya Airways donated a decomissioned Boeing 737 aircraft to a high school in Kenya, to further aviation studies there.
AIRLINK AIRCRAFT PREPARES HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS FOR AVIATION
Airlink will also fund the two-year deployment of two newly-qualified aircraft maintenance technicians to the school as trainers on the aircraft.
The technicians who will train the learners are two young women who served apprenticeships at Airlink.
While they currently work in the airline’s aircraft maintenance centre at Johannesburg’s O.R. Tambo International Airport, they applied to be part of this education initiative.
“Airlink’s donation forms part of our broader strategic investment in focussed aviation education. By placing a real aircraft in learners’ hands and providing qualified engineers as trainers, we can help bridge the gap between theory and practical experience. Students will now get their hands on authentic aircraft systems, components and structures and see how they are integrated and used – an experience that is typically inaccessible to many youngsters who aspire to have aviation careers,” said Airlink CEO, de Villiers Engelbrecht.
DECOMMISSIONED EMBRAER JET
The aircraft was delivered new to Airlink in 2013 and logged 32,080 flight hours in over 30,100 flights before it was decommissioned.
Although certain components were removed to support Airlink’s active fleet, the airline pledged to donate additional aircraft parts to the school over time.
The aircraft fuselage provides plenty of space for learners to explore the aircraft’s internal systems and to study its structural design while also learning about cabin layout, avionics and other equipment.
The ERJ35ER is a regional jet manufactured by Embraer in Brazil. It is powered by two Rolls-Royce AE 3007/A3 turbofan engines and in Airlink’s configuration it seats 37 passengers and has a 2,400km range. It is 26.3m long and 6,76m high and has a wingspan of 20.04m.
Similarly, its wings and tail section are examples of modern aerodynamic engineering. Together they have a striking presence on the school’s grounds.
ALSO READ: Disused Kenya Airways aircraft arives at Mang’u High School
