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Has anyone attended the Lycoming Engine Service & Disassembly courses at Penn College, Williamsport??
I live in the U.K., and operate a PA-20 here. I like the idea of a two-week holiday in Williamsport, taking in the two courses and hopefully a trip around the factory.
Brian on this site went and had a post about it but I can not find it. Seemed like a very productive week to me. I attended the teardown seminar they did at Oshkosh and found it very informative.
I did the disassembly course about 20 years ago (part of new employee orientation at Lycoming). It was very good then, and I understand that they've improved the classes over the years. The current instructor is knowledgeable, practical, and great to talk with about all things aviation.
Has anyone attended the Lycoming Engine Service & Disassembly courses at Penn College, Williamsport??
Hey Rich,
A buddy and I went to both the Service and Disassembly/Assembly courses about four years ago. I would have to say that depending on your level of experience, you'll either really enjoy it, or you'll bring little away. It is taught at the A&P school by instructors of the same school. I did enjoy the factory tour as well as the trip over to Lock Haven to visit the museum. I had just read a book associated with Piper's ferry pilots, and life at Lock Haven during the heydays; so seeing some of the homes of Piper's famous people and associated haunts was pretty cool.
We also went to Continental's Service School in Mobile a couple of years later... very informative and enjoyable although there was no tear down and reassembly portion to that course.
Has anyone attended the Lycoming Engine Service & Disassembly courses at Penn College, Williamsport??
I attended the 4 day classroom and 3 day lab class in Nov 2014. The classroom was Mon-Thur and the lab Fri-Mon-Tue. Tuition cost for the two combined was $1425.
That plus round trip air fare from LA via Phili, lodging for 9 days, and a rental car over the weekend, made it an expensive investment.
I remember being on a wait list for about 6 to 9 months to get in, so keep that in mind.
I was just starting an overhaul of a O-540 at the time on a Comanche 250 project, so the timing of the school was good for me.
I also looked at it as a vacation, because I really enjoyed the experience and the weekend in between classes to tour Lock Haven Piper Museum and drive up to Niagara Falls, which were both on my bucket list.
The instructor of the class James Doebler is a walking encyclopedia of knowledge, having worked for Lycoming most of his career. Not sure if he still teaches or not. He was getting up there in years.
The enjoyment of the class will hinge to a degree on the other students in the class. As with most classes a lot of Q and A between the students and the instructor will add greatly to what you come away with.
Last edited by Brian; 11-21-2017 at 11:15 PM.
Reason: Corrections
At OSH this year i sat thru every seminar Lycoming had. The instructor was from the collage. Used to work for Lyc. but they moved their school to the college and he went with it. Got a lot of knowledge out of the OSH tear down, build up, maintenance seminars. Rich if you haven't been OSH would be a good state side eye opener. My RV8 buddy asked me yesterday about next year. Hell yea was my answer.
At OSH this year i sat thru every seminar Lycoming had. The instructor was from the collage. Used to work for Lyc. but they moved their school to the college and he went with it. Got a lot of knowledge out of the OSH tear down, build up, maintenance seminars. Rich if you haven't been OSH would be a good state side eye opener. My RV8 buddy asked me yesterday about next year. Hell yea was my answer.
I did the same thing two years ago, excellent, but like drinking from a fire hose.
Lycoming Engine Service & Disassembly Courses
Originally Posted by richdolby
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