Before I lose all credibility, let me explain...
The school I'm attending (C.A.T.) had ONE turbine left, until about five months ago. That class was doing their first inspection & run-up--like all of us are dying to do from the minute we agree to pay $20,000 for the priveledge--when there was a high pitched whirring followed by three very deep KA-BLUNG's.
They shut that old JT8D down but the fifteen foot cone of fire, jetting out the back, took a good seven to eight minutes to die down. I don't need to tell you all that that engine is wasted...
We still don't have a replacement (or even the hope of one in the near future).
I haven't gotten to turbines yet--not that it matters--it'll all be theory anyway. Hell, even our recip training has been primarily theory (many of them are missing parts, all are badly out of tolerance and none of them will actually fire up and run).
So essentially, I'll come out of school $20g's in debt, having never worked on an engine and seen it run afterwards; nothing more than theoretical knowledge in powerplant. Believe me when I tell you that it scares the hell out of me too!
Suffice it to say, that I do everything I can to pick up as much knowledge as I possibly can, from wherever I can. So, if at times, I come off as a little dense, please try to understandd that I'm really trying to keep up but I'm poorly equiped.
These forums are so helpful, and even though sometimes I look foolish, even that can be instructive. So, be patient with me while I stumble towards a better understanding and a greater degree of competence.
Cheers,
m.