information from South Seattle College

South Seattle College announced that its Aviation Department has acquired a USAF C-21A Learjet. Of the five Aviation Maintenance Technician (AMT) schools in Washington state, South is the first to have a Learjet.

A hands-on training tool, the jet will be used for students to practice maintenance that includes inspections, general servicing and repairs. All of the student training performed on the Learjet will be done at South’s Boeing Field hangar. These studies are part of South’s eight-quarter Aviation Maintenance Technician (AMT) program, which includes 30 hours per week of aircraft training that will now include the Learjet. It won't fly again although it could.

The plane was acquired from the Department of Enterprise Services that accounts for government surplus items. Formerly a plane for the Michigan State Police, the Learjet became available in 2014. Through a competitive selection process, South was selected to acquire the aircraft because of the number of potential mechanics it will serve. Each quarter the AMT program enrolls an average of 175 students.

While it's cost when new in 1984 was more than $3 million it is currently valued at $625,000.

“At South we take a hands-on approach to learning, and our aviation program embodies that,” South Seattle College President Gary Oertli said. “By adding this plane to our program, it will enhance our ability to provide quality job training to future aviation technicians in the years to come.”

Aviation instructor Patrick Prociv said, "The beauty of it is that these Lear Jets are flying in the same flight realm that airliners do. They have a lot of the same equipment. All the basic systems that an airliner has is in a mini package right here."

Prociv said the aircraft has about 18,000 hours of flight time. "It flew in here Oct. 1 from New York and that may be the last time it flies."

"The purpose of getting this aircraft was that we needed one that we could demonstrate running the turbine engines from the cockpit. So we will roll it outside, start the engines up and cycle the hydraulics and go through the motions of the whole start sequence."