2013-05-08 Elizabeth City, North Carolina, is the key focal point for USCG aviation.
Here maintenance and training of the fleet is crucial for USCG operations worldwide.
A key element of the operation is the Aviation Technical Training Center (ATTC)..
We visited the ATTC in 2010 and our full report can be found here:
The training focuses as well on the logistics technicians working on aircraft as training aids which in turn can provide a test bed for improvements in the fleet as well.
The video above highlights the basic approach.
Recently, the USCG has added a prototype CN-235 to be part of their well-established maintenance training approach.
According to an Airbus Military press release dated May 7, 2013:
The U.S. Coast Guard Aviation Logistics Center has purchased the prototype CN235 aircraft and plans to transform it into an HC-144A maintenance-training unit. The HC-144A is based on the Airbus Military CN235 tactical airlifter. More than 230 CN235s are in service around the world.
The transformation will configure the CN235 with systems from the HC-144. The systems will have built-in faults that will allow maintenance personnel the opportunity to learn troubleshooting on actual HC-144 aircraft.
The USCG Aviation Technical Training Center, located in Elizabeth City, N.C., currently has similar training aids for other fleet aircraft including the EADS Eurocopter MH-65 Dolphin helicopter. The HC-144 maintenance training unit will be the first of its kind for an Airbus Military aircraft when the transformation is complete.