During our regularly scheduled meeting, the cadets took a trip over to the Selfridge Fire Deparment to see the equipment and facilities and talk with the men who work there.
We would like to thank Station Chief Thomas Van Nuck and his men for the outstanding hospitality!
Pictures are available here
Cadets had a unique opportunity to tour the facilities at Williams International today. Williams International, located in Walled Lake, MI, is the world leader in the development of small turbine engines for general aviation and military applications. From powering the first cruise missiles, to powering the Virgin Atlantic GlobalFlyer nonstop around the globe, Williams also produces the engines for the most popular business jets.
After passing through secruity and receiving their visitor badges, cadets were greeted by Todd Lindsey, program manager for the FJ44-4 engine program. Mr. Lindsey gave a brief presentation to explain the basic operations of a jet engine. He then took us through a tour of the facility, which included research and development areas, engine build areas and a small company museum. Cadets were also able to view live engine tests being performed in one of the test cells where an engine was being cycled through it’s power range every 65 seconds to test durability. After a walk through of their repair facility for customer engines, the group proceeded back to a conference room to view films of engine tests. These films included footage of engines ingesting small birds and ice, and also containment of seperated fan blades.
We would like to thank Mr. Lindsey for donating his personal time to show us around the facility and answer our questions! We look forward to visiting again in the future.
Just one more of the great opportunities available to our cadets! Here are some pictures from some recent cadet flights on the KC-135 tankers from the 927th Air Refueling Wing based at Selfridge.
On March 8th, cadets and senior members from the Selfridge Cadet Squadron visited the 927th Air Refueling Wing on base to meet with mechanics for an informative lecture on aircraft systems and a tour of the airplane. Cadets were allowed to view the cockpit, aircraft cabin and refueling bay where the boom operator refuels other aircraft.
Additional photos here