SGTC Aviation Maintenance students perform work on U.S. Navy P2 Neptune | Events

SUMTER and CRISP COUNTIES, GA - News release from South Georgia Technical College

South Georgia Technical College Aviation Maintenance Technology students received valuable hands on experience and also had the unique opportunity to improve an icon on the South Georgia Technical College Americus campus recently.
Members of the SGTC Aviation Maintenance 2285 Propeller Systems class utilized their classroom training in the process of stripping, inspecting, and refinishing propeller blades by working on the South Georgia Technical College U.S. Navy P2 “Neptune” static display.
“Periodically the propellers on an airplane are required to be inspected,” said South Georgia Technical College Aviation Maintenance Technology Instructor Sam Singletary.

“If the propeller blades are metal, they have to be stripped of their paint and inspected at a certified repair station. This process of stripping, inspecting, and refinishing propeller blades is taught in our AVMT 2285 Propeller Systems class.

We decided to allow the students to gain valuable hands-on experience by allowing them to refinish the propeller blades on the SGTC U.S. Navy P2 “Neptune” static display. This plane is unique in that it has two turbine engines as well as two reciprocating engines with propellers,” added Singletary.
Singletary had noticed that the finishes on the propellers were showing signs of corrosion from prolonged exposure to the elements.

This presented the Propellers class with a unique opportunity to improve an icon of the school as well as fulfill requirements of the class.
The students stripped the blades of all paint, primed and then painted them back with high gloss paint.

The spinners (the cone in the center of the prop) were also removed , stripped, primed and painted. In addition, touchup paint has been added to many of the numerous markings on the plane.
“Ironically, the blade color and the safety markings required for the tips are the same as the school colors (Red, Black, and White),” said Singletary.
In addition to this project, the South Georgia Tech propeller students have learned to refinish and inspect wood propellers, and repair of damaged metal propellers.
The students in the SGTC Aviation Maintenance Technology propeller class spring semester include: Dusty Gautney, Walter Medlin, Brad Satterfield, Bradly Golden, Stephanie Strickland, Gareck Cochran, Josh Spier, Shaun Williams, Jeffery Holloway, and Justin Seeley.