I recently attended Lycoming’s factory engine training course and found that the curriculum isn’t limited to mechanics. As expected, the students were predominantly A&Ps but there was only one airplane owner (of a Pitts S1) who simply wanted to learn more about his engine. I think more owners should take his approach, and many don’t realize that Lycoming tailors the course to owner/operators and mechanics alike. As an educator and a practicing A&P, it was obvious to me that 70 percent of the material covered is appropriate to aircraft owners willing to learn proper engine operation and simply want to build on their knowledge of what’s going on underneath their cowlings.
The five-day, 40-hour Lycoming program is taught at the Pennsylvania College of Technology in Lycoming’s hometown of Williamsport, Pennsylvania, by Mike Damiani—a former Lycoming factory representative with a passion for small airplanes.