Students prepare new HealthNet simulator

MALDEN, W.Va. — Students in the collision repair program at Kanawha County’s Carver Career Center proudly showed off their work Wednesday in helping to refurbish what will eventually be a state-of-the-art training simulator for HealthNet Aero Medical services.

The students have been working to repair and paint a retired medical helicopter from Connecticut which Wednesday was moved to HealthNet’s Corporate training facility in Charleston.

“Once inside, we’ll set up the helicopter mechanics to reactivate the electrical system in the back of the aircraft,” said HealthNet CEO Clinton Burley. “There will be a human patient simulator, video screens on each side of the aircraft to give that feel of being in flight. It’s going to be a state-of-the-art simulator.”

HealthNet procured the aircraft and had it shipped from Pittsburgh to Carver where students were tasked with gutting the equipment from the inside, sanding, and repainting the body both inside and out.

“It was a mess,” said instructor Jerry McIntosh. “They had decals all over it.  We had to strip it down to the bare and start all over to bring it back.”

However, it was an interesting project for the students who all had a hand in the work.

“We started working on it, it had a couple of different colors of paint on it. It’s been a big project,” said student Kaleigh Meadows. “It was in pretty good shape, it just needed refinished and a new coat of paint on it.”

Meadows admitted things didn’t always go according to plan.

“Everything gets messed up a time or two along the way,” she laughed.

Students lined up outside the shop doors Wednesday to watch a crane lift the main fuselage onto a flatbed truck for transport. Although fully assembled, students were forced into some last minute adjustments when the fully-assembled chopper proved too big for the truck.

“We actually didn’t know we were going to have to disassemble it until they got here and said it wouldn’t fit on the truck,” Meadows said.

Burley said they wanted to make the simulator a community project and offer a rare opportunity to the students at Carver.

“There’s no question aviation is growing and it may spur interest in the students to maybe pursue some of the body work and painting as it relates to aircraft,” Burley said. “It’s a real good project all the way around.”

“This is real unique,” said McIntosh. “Students never, never get a chance to work on a helicopter and everybody took part in it.  Everybody touched it and the kids did a fantastic job.”





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