Photos by Pierre Gillard/Passion Aviation unless noted
Passengers waiting for the whisper of airline tires touching tarmac at Montreal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International sometimes glimpse another series of runways as they turn final. Few realize that six buildings across the fast-flowing, freighter-packed St. Lawrence River host an assortment of fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft that belong to École Nationale d’Aérotechnique, or ÉNA.
ÉNA is a prestigious technical training institution at Montreal Metropolitan Airport (CYHU) – known as Saint-Hubert Airport until 2023. It is affiliated with the province of Québec’s largest college: Cégep Édouard-Montpetit (Cégep is the acronym for collège d’enseignement général et professionnel, or what the U.S. would call a general and vocational college). The school’s 208 instructors specialize in introducing 1,200 students annually to the world of aviation maintenance. A three-year aerospace technology program leads Canadians and international trainees into every factor involved with keeping commercial, government and private aircraft safely aloft.
Integral within ÉNA are two Beechcraft King Airs: C-FUFW, a 1966 C90-1 model that rolled off the production line as serial number LJ-84, and C-GYLZ, a 1982 C90 model with serial number LJ-1014. Neither of the former corporate carriers will fly again, though they serve an important role as instructional platforms.
Spreading the joy
Stored outside in mild weather within sight of air traffic inbound to Montreal and hundreds of student aviators manipulating flight school Cessna trainers at CYHU, C-FUFW arrived as a gift to ÉNA in 1995. Sister ship C-GYLZ followed in 2022 as a direct fair market value purchase from the state of Georgia. Both unflyable aircraft remain in pristine condition and sport the eight side window trademark of the species first delivered in 1964. In continuous production since then, nearly 8,000 units have been delivered across all models of the turbine-powered series. Textron Aviation’s current production models include the King Air 260, 360 and 360ER.
Close to aeronautical perfection as any mechanical contrivance can be – thanks to innovations like digital pressurization, touchscreen avionics or autothrottles – the agile and long-range King Air 360 encompasses commonalities with ÉNA’s silent C-FUFW and C-GYLZ. Every airplane departing assembly lines will need skilled and knowledgeable airframe and powerplant (A&P) mechanics (in Canada they are known as AMEs or aircraft maintenance engineers). Also, ÉNA’s King Airs contribute to bringing old-timers into line with recent modifications and improved techniques.
“King Airs are versatile and will be in service for many years, so we introduce students to piston airplanes and move to basic turbine types which include the C90s,” explained instructor Marc-André Farkouh, who came to ÉNA in 2018 after a fulfilling career with Pratt & Whitney Canada. “During the program’s first semester, tasks are simple but as experience increases, projects become complex and we know they’ll probably maintain King Airs some time in their future.”
The college does not teach type courses or issue specific endorsements. Tutelage focuses partially on Beechcraft products as well as 36 other airframes. En route to
graduation, neophytes gain unmatched experience on everything from basic homebuilt types to a complex Airbus CSeries CS100 passenger jet.
“We try to spread the joy and foster good aeronautical practices,” Farkouh said.
The King Air’s relevance
Engine removal and component studies remain critical especially since upgraded Pratt & Whitney units power most King Airs, apart from Garrett TPE331-powered King Air B100 models. Coincidentally, ÉNA’s gate guardian happens to be the tri-motor Beechcraft 18 (CF-ZWY-X) that carried out the first flight of the ubiquitous PT6 on May 30, 1961. Today’s King Air 360 operates with a descendant 1,050 shp PT6A-60A and owes ancestry to CF-ZWY-X.
Photo credit: Robert S. Grant
A glance at any assortment of wing parts and Plexiglas would instantly discern differences such as gross weight and propeller blades. However, besides window count, wooden cabinets or flushing toilets, industry-proven Beechcraft share similarities such as pressurization, flight control systems and landing gear components. Students at ÉNA start with basic lock wiring of fuel pumps, filters, generators and other critical devices. Some critics consider these 90 models ancient by present standards yet they continue enabling access to terrains like ant-infested Colombian jungle, remote Australian outback and arctic tundra.
“Our students are shown how to perform preflight inspections on C-FUFW and C-GYLZ,” Farkouh said. “They follow with engine starts and eventually taxi to designated areas for power checks as knowledge and respect develop. They have the opportunity to disassemble whole or in part engines using specialized tools. All these skills become critical in post-graduation workplaces and so will oil changes, tire rotations or any procedures in the world of working King Airs.”
Repetitive instruction enhanced by questioning, testing and hands-on agendas “pulls everything together,” Farkouh added, and Wichita, Kansas-provided factory manuals become less intimidating. Propeller blades seem less dangerous but from the moment a student learner enters ÉNA’s multitudes of laboratories and workshops, no rusty pipe wrenches or paint-splotched ladders appear. All components and tools must be treated with respect. Instructional staff at ÉNA come industry-experienced and understand field life far from air-conditioned classrooms.
In addition to technical mentoring, recipients of knowledge within the school buildings need enthusiasm – detailed studies demand dedication. A stroll through the halls and inside C-FUFW or C-GYLZ reveals that plenty of fervor exists.
When not experiencing hands-on or face-to-face instruction, goals must shift from airplanes to seemingly unrelated practical and theoretical aspects. Disciples must be competent in French and English. Mandatory humanities, physical education and philosophy make up curriculums distant from engines and airframes to earn a Diploma of College Studies in Aviation Maintenance, Aviation Technology or Avionics Technology. If inclined, they may enter the workforce directly, pursue engineering studies or become on-the-job apprentices with 19 months credit towards an A&P license.
Clipped wings, new purpose
Questions often cross Farkouh’s desk concerning the possibilities of C-FUFW and C-GYLZ returning to Quebec skies. He points out that ÉNA ensures the continually used King Airs remain weight-on-wheels. Costs to re-fly either would be prohibitive and each has a purpose as a teaching tool.
However, ÉNA operates an in-house aero club with two Cessna 172Ns that enable students with private pilot licenses to add flying time or night ratings to future A&P resumes. Farkouh holds a commercial pilot license with instructor rating.
Recent analysis indicates expanding workforces direly need young mechanics from training organizations such as ÉNA. Retirees cannot be quickly replaced nor A&Ps trained overnight. No matter what contributions of a pair of airplanes from Kansas wheat fields, newbies enter the profession matured with licenses to learn. Fortunately, ÉNA’s variety of airplanes alongside C-FUFW and C-GYLZ contribute to a positive picture.
“Each year, we hear appeals to ‘train more, train more.’ Before our undergraduates leave, they’ve already had several job offers so employment’s not an issue,” Farkouh said. “Nobody can predict the job landscape but the same basic configuration with continued refinement will still be out there. There will always be a place for King Airs.”
École Nationale d’Aérotechnique publishes tasteful brochures for dissemination to potential enrollees. A double-sided pamphlet justifies the immense complex’s purpose on busy Montreal Metropolitan Airport. King Air C-FUFW appears below the yellow-lettered statement “There’s a promising future in the air,” and it is no coincidence that an accompanying 12-page booklet includes a photo of graduates tossing mortarboards with a blue and white King Air in the background.
Diplomas awarded by ÉNA have never been easy to obtain nor should they be. Since founding in 1964 as the Institute Aérotechnique du Quebec, the organization has become a leader in terms of training nurtured by a pair of motionless twin-engine airplanes. Sixty-one years ago, when test pilot James D. Webber flew the first King Air prototype, serial number LJ-1 registered N5690K, he believed the line would prosper and it has exceeded expectations.
King Airs C-FUFW and C-GYLZ will never stand useless in museums or waste away as crumpled scrap. They are functional classics supporting the longest production run of any aircraft on the market.