The Aircraft Maintenance Engineering (AME) B1.4 Stream is a specialized course that prepares students to work on piston engine helicopters and ensures they are fully capable of conducting maintenance, inspection, repair, and certification tasks according to aviation safety standards.
One of the most important parts of the AME B1.4 course is its practical training component. The total course is designed as per DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation) rules and is about 2400 hours long spread over roughly 2 to 3 years. This includes a balanced mix of classroom theory and hands- on practical sessions.
Here's what practical training covers:
Hands-on work on real helicopters and components in hangars and workshops.
Disassembly and reassembly of turbine engines, rotor heads, transmissions, and other mechanical parts.
Inspection and performance checks on powerplants and helicopter structures.
Ground run-ups and vibration tests to understand real operational conditions.
Troubleshooting and maintenance tasks under supervision to develop real-world problem-solving skills.
The practical component is crucial because it gives students real experience with aircraft systems beyond textbooks. Working directly on helicopters helps students understand real maintenance challenges develop technical skills, and prepare for DGCA licensing exams which are necessary to become a certified AME engineer.