AirVenture 2006 Kicked Off Program; Other Shows To Follow

It seems like it was only yesterday... and while it's been nearly a month since AirVenture 2006 wrapped up for the year, one of the more informative programs ANN saw there will continue on.

Oshkosh was the site of Columbia Aircraft’s first ever TRAIN ME (Training, Information and Maintenance Expertise) seminar series. The program, which ran daily Wednesday through Saturday at AirVenture, provided Columbia 300, 350 and 400 owners and the people who service them a deeper understanding of the unique attributes and features of the aircraft.

"The all-composite Columbia line is quite different from the aluminum aircraft that a lot of people in personal aviation are accustomed to working with," said Columbia Vice President of Customer Care Dave McRae. "They’re really quite easy to maintain properly, but we found that a lot of our customers and the A&Ps who service their aircraft just aren’t as familiar with what makes these aircraft tick as they could be. The TRAIN ME program will help to change that and enable our customers to get that much more from their Columbia Aircraft ownership experience."

McRae points out that similar programs have been in practice in business and commercial aviation for many years, but Columbia is the first manufacturer of personal aircraft to implement such an initiative.

"This program is part of a larger initiative at Columbia Aircraft to revolutionize the customer-to-manufacturer interaction. We’ve found that the more our customers and the people who maintain their aircraft know about them, the more they get out of them," McRae said.

The TRAIN ME program at AirVenture was split into three segments:

• The Columbia Aircraft Ownership Experience and Customer Care Resources, presented by Columbia Technical Services Manager Joel Timmerman
• Part 23 and Utility Category Certification -- What it Means to Your Aircraft, presented by Columbia Vice President of Engineering Tom Bowen
• The Physiology of High Altitude Flight, presented by Columbia Aircraft Chief Pilot Terry Brewer.

Like we said before, AirVenture was just the beginning for TRAIN ME. The company also plans to hold similar seminar programs at the three largest General Aviation events each year -- Lakeland, Oshkosh and AOPA Expo -- into the future. The programs are designed for Columbia aircraft owners and maintenance personnel, but McRae adds that anyone who is interested in learning more about the aircraft is welcome to attend.

Columbia Aircraft manufactures a variety of all-composite aircraft including the world’s fastest certified piston single -- the Columbia 400.

FMI: www.flycolumbia.com