HeliTSA, an Australian rotary maintenance school, has unveiled its latest CASA-approved course for Rolls-Royce M250 and RR300 engine training. The five-day course is being run in Brisbane at the Asia Pacific Aerospace (APA) facility, to give engineers exposure to the whole overhaul cycle.

The course is the first in a suite of engine courses to be gradually rolled out as HeliTSA expands its presence as a training provider. “When we sought expressions of interest for engine courses, there was an overwhelming demand for Rolls-Royce M250 and RR300 training,” says Troy Johnson, director and instructor. As the instructor of this course, Troy brings 15 years of experience on the M250 series engine to the classroom. He has worked on RR250-C20, RR250-C30, RR250-C40 and RR250-C47 variants.

In keeping with HeliTSA's model of industry collaboration, this course is to be delivered in partnership with Asia Pacific Aerospace (APA) in Brisbane. APA general manager Tony Cotroneo says the training will complement APA's business of deeper maintenance for Rolls-Royce engines: “APA is the only approved Rolls-Royce M250/RR300 facility in Australasia. Therefore it provides the students the opportunity to view and touch the engine throughout its overhaul cycle. The major benefit of having an M250 and RR300 training provider here in Australia is cost and time saving to the operators. Most operators of the M250 and RR300 engines are small operators with one or two aircraft within their fleets; they cannot afford the extra cost of overseas travel and the extra time away from their day-to-day business.

“Secondly, by having Troy providing the course content, you are gaining a local instructing locals, which has many benefits. HeliTSA bring a wealth of experience in the delivery of course content.”

The first course in August sold out to a waiting list, and a second round of dates has been announced for November.

The motivation to get these courses up and running was the closure of Sikorsky Helitech's Brisbane facility, which was the only current provider of M250 and RR300 engine training. Launching this training has now proven to be critical following the closure of Australia's borders.

“This announcement is particularly pertinent given the COVID-19 events of 2020,” Troy continues. “With international travel no longer a possibility, we sought to get this course approved as quickly as possible to ensure engineers and operators could still access training. We're thrilled to see our hands-on model of training expanding to new courses. Across the five-day format of this course, we have the opportunity to pass on extensive field and maintenance experience.”