The University of Central Missouri's Department of Aviation recently received a gift of a CFM International CFM36 jet engine from Southwest Airlines.

The engine, which was removed from service on Southwest’s fleet of Boeing 737 airliners, will become a valuable tool in hands-on instruction for students in UCM’s aviation maintenance program,including other aspects of the aviation program, according to a news release from UCM.

The engine was delivered from Dallas, on March 1st. With assistance from Richter Excavating in Warrensburg, the 4-ton engine and the cradle dolly on which it rests, were lifted from the truck and moved into a hangar at UCM’s Max B. Swisher Skyhaven Airport.

According to Tony Monetti, executive director of aviation and Skyhaven Airport, UCM alumnus Rod Blake, a veteran in the airline industry currently working in engine development for Southwest Airlines, contacted UCM aircraft maintenance director Steve Quick, offering the engine. The gift was finalized with assistance from Joy Mistele, a senior gift officer with the UCM Alumni Foundation. “This is a great opportunity for our students to learn hands-on about jet engines,” Monetti said.

Quick noted, that the jet engine is a significant component in the training provided by UCM with the Boeing 737 training simulator owned by the UCM aviation program.

“Students, whether they plan on a career in the cockpit or in maintenance, can get a full understanding of the systems that they can’t get from textbooks and lecture,” Quick said. “For our students in our aircraft maintenance program, it is a definite significant advantage.”

UCM - Aviation
UCM - Aviation
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