6 JAX AIR NEWS, NASJACKSONVILLE, Thursday, March 13, 2008 Produdng fleeLead Jackson . e Ci (AW)Toienter . Fleet Public Affairs Center Detachment Southeast , he Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training Unit Jacksonville (CNATTU Jax) is one of the 17 units that make up the CNATT command with an over- whelming amount of tal- ented and dedicated Sailors and Marines who not only instruct, but mentor new Sailors and those return- ing with fleet experience in CNATTU's high-tech train- ing environment. "I really enjoy mentoring the new students who come straight to us from boot camp," said AM1 Vincent Stolp, an Airframe "A" School instructor. "That's one of the big things I get out of being an instructor. I get to show them how it really works out in the fleet, giving them that upper edge." CNATTU Jacksonville is comprised of 150 of the best Navy and Marine instruc- tors who teach 144 differ- ent courses spread involv- ing two different aircraft, the SH-60 Sea Hawk, P-3C Orion, "A" school and vari- ous aviation support equip- ment. "Our instructors are the cream of the crop," said Cmdr. Allen Crisp, execu- tive officer of CNATTU Jax. "They are hand selected based on their knowledge and the exemplarily way they conduct themselves." According to AEC Raymond Derrick, CNATTU Jax public affairs officer, the rule of thumb is that their instructors are among the top 10 percent academically in their rate I: iCir UY5 *I - AMAA Kevin Hill, an "A" school student at The Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training Unit Jacksonville, uses a bench mounted sheer to cuts a piece of sheet metal during his metal fabrication lab. AM1 Vincent Stolp aids one of his students during a hands-on metal fabrication lab. The "A" school students are learning the fundamentals on how to do layouts to cut, bend and make boxes out of sheet metal. Staff Sgt. Robert Flores Jr. (right), aviation ground sup- port equipment instructor at The Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training Unit Jacksonville (CNATTU Jax), performs visual training for his students, ATAN George Tate and ASAA Charles Rutledge Jr., on an electrical dummy load DA675/ MSM. The students are taking the mobile electric power plant intermediate maintenance technician course at CNATTU Jax. and must apply, be recom- mended and be accepted by the CNATTU to become an instructor. "We are a very tight community and con- tinuously recruit the best to produce fleet ready Sailors and Marines," said Derrick. Sailors and Marines who come to CNATTU Jax attend any of the four maintenance training units (MTUs) that teach enlist- ed personnel initial rate "A" school and follow on career "C" school training to the fleet. The instruc- tors are there to produce "fleet ready" mechanics and technicians through formal classroom, laboratory and actual on aircraft training. Graduates from CNATTU schools maintain flight con- trol systems, engines, radi- os, navigation equipment, radar, diagnostic testing equipment, weapons and ordnance systems, ground servicing equipment and a AD1 Charles Anderson (at screen), flight engineer instructor at The Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training Unit Jacksonville, teaches his students the fundamentals and technical assembly of the oil pump in a P-3 Orion. Flight engineer students go through an extensive training program to learn the functions on all the components/systems on the aircraft they will be performing checks. See CNATTU, Page 7 AMAA Kevin Hill, an "A" school student at The Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training Unit Jacksonville aligns his project on the bench mounted sheer to cut during his metal fabri- cation lab. AM1 Andrew Marlatt (left), an instructor at The Center for Naval Aviation Technical Training Unit Jacksonville, goes over hydraulic systems on a SH-60 Sea Hawk system trainer. The trainer is used to test students trouble shooting skills, comprehension and location through problem elimination. Saill ~w U I u