Avionics News June 2012 - 74

series
B Y T H O M A S I N M A N

Avotek Offers State-of-the-Art Aviation Maintenance Training Technology
uring the 55th annual AEA International Convention & Trade Show in Washington, D.C., I had the pleasure of working the Avotek booth in the AEA Exhibit Hall, which was conveniently located between the Federal Aviation Administration booth promoting ADS-B and the National Center for Aerospace & Transportation Technologies booth. Located in Weyers Cave, Va., Avotek is owned and operated by Karl D. Stoltzfus Jr. This AEA member company is from a small town with few traffic lights, but it has had a large impact on technical training of aviation technicians. Stoltzfus’ father, Karl Sr., and his uncle, Ken Stoltzfus Sr., started Avotek in 1967. Initially, the company focused on parts sales to Part 147 AMT schools. During the 1970s, Karl Sr. purchased Ken’s share of the business. Karl Jr. worked at his father’s company during the 1980s and most of the 1990s. In 1998, Karl Jr. purchased the company from his father. Then, in 2001, the younger Stoltzfus expanded the business to include any materials an AMT school needed — both in the lab and the classroom. The 2001 expansion brought Avotek into the publishing business. At the time, the newest AMT books on the market were approximately 10 years old, with, as
74
avionics news

Karl said, “nothing new on the horizon.” Avotek’s customers asked them to fill the void. Currently, Avotek publishes a complete line of textbooks for Part 147 maintenance schools. The basic series covers all topics included in the FAA mandated curriculum. The company strives to be ahead of the learning curve. For example, the Avotek line of books included human factors, which the FAA did not mandate for AMT schools until this year. In addition to the basic series, Avotek publishes textbooks, which go into more depth in many of the specific topic areas, as well as reference materials and testing/ study guides. The books are designed to allow training programs to tailor their training to customer or employer needs. “For instance, we have a sheet metal textbook that has three times the material in our basic series,” Stotzfus said. If a school has an employer needing indepth coverage, the sheet metal book can provide materials to help. If the school needs to dedicate the time to other areas, then they will typically stick with the more condensed coverage in the basic series, using supplement books for those areas requiring more detail. Even though the company expanded into the publishing business, it did not lose focus on lab equipment. Avotek continues

to design and build new trainers each year. The company’s website at www.avotek. com advertises more than 100 training aids and systems, ranging from an ARINC 429 Digital Data Bus system trainer, to a vapor cycle air conditioning and heating training system. Complete engines and engine cutaways are available, as well as smaller items like carburetor cutaways and large items, such as complete aircraft. Currently, Avotek is expanding again. “I’m much more interested in talking about our textbooks than about our trainers,” Stoltzfus said. Following the same model used to develop the AMT series, the company is expanding its textbook line to include a complete series of avionics texts. The series starts with basic electronics, moves forward into aircraft specific areas, then moves to advanced aircraft systems. The advanced series includes material on the Boeing 787 and the Airbus A380. Avotek noticed a clear need in the industry for affordable materials to help students prepare for the NCATT Aircraft Electronics Technician certificate, and endorsements. Although the number of AET certified technicians is growing with the number of schools holding NCATT accreditation, books written with these certifications in mind are scarce. Currently, only one book exists as a study guide to

•

june

2012

http://www.avotek.com http://www.avotek.com

Avionics News June 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Avionics News June 2012