Jeff Turner, President and CEO of Spirit AeroSystems and Vice Chair of the WATC Board of Directors, received the Wichita Aero Club’s trophy at a gala held January 28 at the Wichita Airport Hilton.

Turner was nominated for his deep connections to Wichita and for furthering the aerospace industry in Kansas. The club presents the trophy to an individual, group, or organization with ties to the local aviation community whose exemplary achievements and contributions in the field of aviation or aerospace deserve special recognition. Mr. Turner is the second recipient of the award.

Wichita Area Technical College is proud to congratulate Jeff Turner and thank him for his continued service on the WATC board of directors. The commitment to technical education by Mr. Turner and other Wichita leaders has helped establish WATC as the state’s leading provider of skilled training and workforce development in aviation, healthcare and other industries.

Mr. Turner has served as Spirit AeroSystem’s President and CEO since June 2006. Mr. Turner joined Boeing in 1973, and was appointed as Vice President-General Manager of Boeing Wichita Division in November 1995.

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WATC is saying thank you to two educators within the College. Terry Smith, Department Chair for Manufacturing, Automotive and Design Technology and LeArta Watkins, Instructional & e-Learning Designer are both retiring after years of service. Their retirement reception will be held Friday, January 27th at NCAT.

In March of 1971, Terry was told by a friend there was an instructor position open for welding at WATC. He not only landed the job, but was also able to receive his bachelor’s degree from Pittsburg State and his M.S. in Adult Education while teaching. Through the years, Terry said his highest award achieved while working at WATC would be his self-satisfaction of knowing he gave 100% over the years. He said he will miss working with his fellow WATC employees in helping the students achieve their goals.

Terry’s favorite memory from his time with WATC is when he received a phone call from one of his former student’s regarding the great education she had received from WATC. Her education not only helped her in getting a job in her field of study, but also a job that had benefits like paid vacation. At the time of the call, she was at home drinking a cup of coffee, while getting paid. It was the first day of “paid” vacation she had ever received in her life.

After retiring, Terry plans to do contract welding and work at major Sporting Clay tournaments around the country. He is also wants to continue designing and making Southwest art pieces by using a combination of metal and antlers for his small business called Buffaloroad Originals.

LeArta Watkins became a part of the WATC family in June of 2008 when WATC  acquired the Cowley County Community College Southside campus. She first started as an adjunct instructor for Cowley in 1991 and eventually made her way to become the Director of Distance Learning and continued to do so at WATC. She was also able to bring the College’s online program up from a handful of classes to the full schedule we now have available via online and hybrid classes.

LeArta states she will miss the relationships she has had with her colleagues and in helping the students. LeArta has received several awards during her life-long career within education. She received “Outstanding Young Educator” while teaching at Derby. During her years at Cowley, she was selected by the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD) as Master Teacher. But she feels that her highest honor was being asked to give a commencement address for the alternative high school in Burden, KS.

One of LeArta’s favorite memories was when she was helping two students achieve their associate’s degree while they stationed in Iraq via online classes. One of the students brought her the American flag that he had flown over Camp Baghdad in her honor. When he got back to the United States, he saw his family on the first day and on his second day, he went to see her and brought her the flag. It is currently displayed in LeArta’s home along with its certificate from the commander.

After retirement, LeArta will have more time to spend with her grandchildren. She loves to sew and quilt. One of her major projects includes archiving her antiques, most of which are from her family and writing the story that goes with each piece so her children will know the history of their family.

WATC is grateful for the contributions made by both LeArta and Terry and we appreciate the valuable service and dedication provided by these excellent instructors and administrators throughout the years.

Thank you!

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Enrollment is in full swing for classes beginning Jan. 17, 2012. Check our interactive schedule for class availability. Enroll today and take a step toward your goals!

Visit our National Center for Aviation Training campus at 4004 N. Webb or our Southside Education Center campus at 4501 E. 47th St. S.

You may also call 316.677.9400 or follow these enrollment steps:

Apply for admission

Complete a free application for admission.  If you are a first-time applicant, you will be asked to create a login.  If you have already started an application, login to continue your application.

Since WATC is an open access institution, you will be admitted to the college upon completion of your application.  Admission to the college does not guarantee admission to individual programs.  See individual program requirements.

Meet with an advisor (no appointment necessary)

Your advisor will guide you through the enrollment process by:

• Reviewing program requirements
• Recommending appropriate assessments or placement testing
• Registering you for courses

Explore payment options

Meet with financial aid to discuss grant, loan, and scholarship opportunities.  Many of our students receive some type of federal or institutional assistance. Meet with Business Office to discuss convenient payment options or pay balance of account not covered by aid. If you have not arranged for payment of your account by the due date, you will be dropped from your classes.

Visit the Bookstore

Take a copy of your schedule to the bookstore and they will assist you in selecting your books.  If your financial aid file is complete and your aid is sufficient to cover the balance, you may charge  books to your account.

Attend Orientation

New student orientation is an important part of your success at WATC. At orientation you will learn about services available to students and information about your student login to firefly, virtual classes, and email.

Attend class

At the time of enrollment, your advisor will provide you with a copy of your schedule. It is important that you come prepared on the first day of class.  If you are not able to attend a class, it is your responsibility to contact your instructor. If you plan to drop your class, you will need to meet with your advisor to officially withdraw.

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If you’ve ever dreamed of becoming a private pilot or taking the next step and achieving an instrument rating, the time to act is now. Pilot Ground School (both for-credit and non-credit courses) begins January 18 and 19 at the National Center for Aviation Training (NCAT) at 4004 N. Webb Rd.

For enrollment, tuition or textbooks contact WATC at 316-677-9400. For course content information, contact Mark Ross at 316-214-1464 More info follows below.

Private Pilot

Course #AVI 100 – 4 credit hours

Become a pilot!  Take the first step!  Successfully pass the FAA Private Pilot Airman Knowledge Test and prepare for flying lessons from a certificated flight instructor.  Learn about aerodynamics, weight & balance, aircraft systems, radio navigation, meteorology, federal regulations, aeronautical charts, flight planning, and decision making.

 1/18/12 – 4/9/12:

Session A    M/W    5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Introduction to Flying

Course #AVI (TBD) – Non-credit – Dates TBD

How do I become a pilot?  Course offers an overview of pilot requirements, privileges, limitations, and benefits.  Learn how airplanes fly, what the flight instruments are, and the procedures for handling planes on and around airports.  Flight training costs, time commitments, testing, weather concerns, physical requirements, and what to expect from flight training are discussed.

Session A    M/W    5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Session B     T/TH    5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Session C     SAT     8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Instrument Pilot

Course #AVI 105 – 4 credit hours

The instrument rating – the next step in proficiency for the private pilot.  Successfully pass the FAA Airman Instrument Rating Knowledge Examination.  Build upon your Private Pilot knowledge.  Learn about attitude instrument flying, instrument navigation, communication with ATC, instrument interpretation, IFR Approaches, Departures, Enroute procedures, holding patterns, meteorology, and advanced aircraft systems.

1/19/12 – 4/10/12:

Session A     T/TH    5:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

(Prerequisite: Private Pilot License)

For enrollment, tuition or textbooks contact WATC at 316-677-9400. For course content information, contact Mark Ross at 316-214-1464 More info follows below.

You’ll love our traditional classroom setting

Taught by a team of experienced flight instructors:

You get face-to-face interaction with lots of real world experiences

Provides motivation and uniform progress:

Complete the required training to pass the FAA Private Pilot Airman Knowledge Computerized Exam

Course Syllabus with set class times, dates and subjects to be covered.

Opportunity to ask questions!

Easier to get motivated with someone giving you recognition for good grades

Instructor encouragement to complete the class

No distractions to learning:

No children, friends, pets, television, etc.

College Credit:

Credit Courses and Textbooks may be reimbursable through your employer.

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The Wall Street Journal recently featured an article about how the best pay relative to education costs went to those who graduated from a technical college, rather than those who graduated from law schools.

Low tuition rates, a program that lasts only nine months and 100% job placement are three reasons why WATC's Dental Assisting program is growing.

Hedge fund manager Daniel Ades of Kawa Capital Management makes a living investing in portfolios of securitized college loans. He must accurately predict the default rates of students repaying their loans. Analysis of everything from employment rates by profession to the long-term earning potential of young graduates are key factors to the success of the investment. But this analysis has also given Mr. Ades a unique insight into the return of investment for what students spend on their education versus what they receive.

“Students should pick schools where the payoff from higher salaries upon graduation exceeds the cost of the education by the widest margin, he contends, especially when the job market contracts.

By that arithmetic, technical colleges come out on top, Mr. Ades said. “We’re in a skills based economy and what we need is more computer programmers, more [nurses],” he said. “It’s less glamorous but it’s what we need.”

Mr. Ades goes on to say that the low cost relative to the higher wages technical colleges deliver makes them an attractive option. Especially during recessions,  when law school graduates have a harder time finding work than graduates from professional programs and are more likely to default on their student loans.

Now more than ever, Wichita Area Technical College offers an attractive return on a student’s education investment. With an average job placement success rate of 94% (including job placement, continued education or military), WATC students are taught the skills they’ll need to land good jobs immediately upon completion of one of WATC’s more than 75 programs of study. Dental assisting, welding and machining are just a few examples of the WATC programs that have a track record of 100% job placement for graduates. WATC partners with industry to provide a high-wage, high-tech career pipeline for its students.

WATC student Derrick LeGrande was offered a job even before completing his course of study. Machining Technology is one of many WATC programs with a 100% job placement rate.

WATC operates three campus locations in Wichita including the new, $50 million state-of-the-art National Center for Aviation Training (NCAT) which is a world-class research and training facility designed to meet changing business and workforce needs. A partnership between Sedgwick County, WATC and Wichita State University’s National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR), this facility is a critical part of the effort to sustain Wichita’s competitive advantage as the Air Capital of the World.

WATC offers the nation's best training for Aviation Maintenance Technicians (AMTs) in pursuit of their Airframe and Powerplant (A&P) license from the FAA. The strength of WATC's aviation program results from close ties with local manufacturers such as Cessna, Bombardier, Hawker Beechcraft, Spirit AeroSystems and others.

This area’s aviation manufacturing cluster provides 30,400 aviation jobs which support a total of 118,894 jobs indirectly. WATC’s worldwide leadership in aviation training led to its designation as the designer of the National Institute of Manufacturers’ Aviation Certificate. In addition to aviation training, the NCAT campus also features an Advanced Manufacturing educational complex, classrooms for general education credits and an administrative building with space for student services and assessment.

Technical education is a great fit due to its lower educational costs and the higher-paying jobs to which it leads. Wichita Area Technical College is proud to be a national leader in technical education. Read more about WATC’s accreditation and its role as a Kansas Board of Regents Institutition.

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Bill Jones, of Hawker Beechcraft, with WATC's Aerospace Paint and Coatings students.

WATC, with the help of Hawker Beechcraft’s Chief of Global Engineering, Bill Jones, has accepted the generous donation of a state-of-the-art sanding device for the College’s Aerospace Coatings and Paint Technology program. WATC rebuilt and updated the EMMA (Easily Manipulated Mechanical Arm) unit with dollars from the Kansas Board of Regents Innovative Technology for Learning Grant.

On October 27^th, a team from Hawker Beechcraft and Temple Allen Industries brought the EMMA unit to the NCAT campus to install and give demonstrations to students. EMMA uses joy-stick controls to move the tool over a surface, allowing the operator to stand a distance away from the paint dust and also avoid vibrations. It sands, grinds, blasts and polishes and is being implemented in many of the leading aviation industry’s painting processes.

Through an on-site visit to Spirit AeroSystems, WATC had the opportunity to see EMMA in action and speak to both company leaders and end users regarding the tool. During the tour, Spirit staff commented that EMMA has saved the company production time, is cost effective and protects workers from muscle injuries. EMMA cuts production sanding time almost in half, requires less material and provides a quality finish.

WATC is excited to include EMMA as part of their Aerospace Coatings and Paint Technology training. Business and industry partners supporting the program have expressed that they appreciate that WATC will offer them workforce ready workers for high-value shops in a facility, a greater population of informed workers who know working with EMMA could provide them a longer career in painting, and increased productivity, high quality work, reduced operating costs, and improved employee wellness.

The WATC Aerospace Coatings and Paint Technology program is designed to produce an aerospace technician with multiple skill sets, a well-rounded understanding of the aerospace industry and the depth and breadth of knowledge which comes from general education courses.  It provides a broad based understanding of coating and paint processes within the aerospace industry and includes comprehensive learning experiences in all aspects of the coating and paint industry including formulation, application and specialized areas.  

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You can enter the aviation industry through WATC’s direct link to aircraft manufacturers and suppliers. We’ve developed our cutting-edge training with direct input from the aviation community. These ongoing, active relationships directly affect our curriculum and areas of emphasis. When you graduate, you leave with marketable skills that ideally position you for employment.

WATC offers 22 Aviation degree and certificate programs, in areas such as Advanced Aerostructures, Composite Technology, and Aviation Maintenance Technology. To find out more call 316.677.9400 or stop by our NCAT campus at 4004 N. Webb Road to visit with an advisor today!

To view the accompanying news story, click here.

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Aviation Maintenance Technology students at Wichita Area Technical College have an effective new way to learn the complex interior of a turbo propeller engine. WATC’s National Center for Aviation Training (NCAT) offers students a cutaway version of the industry’s popular PT6 design.  This learning tool deeply enriches a student’s understanding of the inner workings of an engine.

The relationship and placement of parts inside an engine is difficult to show on paper. WATC’s new cutaway engine allows instructors to show students the complex internal workings of the engine in motion.

“Students love seeing the engine in simulated operation and its depiction of hot and cold sections, said Lance Rudman, aviation maintenance instructor at WATC. “This new learning tool makes it easy to see the path air takes as it flows through the engine. It’s a significant addition to our program.”

First built in 1963 and still in production today, the PT6 is used in more than 100 applications including airplanes, helicopters, as a stationary power producer and even in Formula One race cars. Chances are high that graduates will work on a PT6 at some point during their career. At WATC, students have an opportunity to overhaul a PT6 as part of their turbine engine training.

The PT6 is known for its very high reliability and long life. Some models can operate up to 9000 hours before needing overhauled. The versatility is hard to beat; there are models of the PT6 that range from 580 shaft horse power to over 1900 shaft horse power.

This PT6 cutaway engine is yet another great addition to WATC’s industry-leading AMT program and it further positions NCAT as a world-class training center for aviation students. This 200,000 sq. ft. campus, located at 4004 N. Webb Road in Wichita, KS, offers 22 Aviation degree and certificate programs to prepare students for careers in Aerostructures, Avionics, Composites or as an FAA approved Aviation Maintenance Technician.

WATC is the designer of the National Association of Manufacturer’s Aviation Certificate System.

Request more information about these and other WATC programs or call 316.677.9400 to schedule a campus tour or speak with an advisor.

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