Education gets electrified at tech center Published May 21, 2009 By Howdy Stout Tinker Public Affairs TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- You might call Don Staley a bright spark. A student of aircraft propellers in an era when they were common, Mr. Staley now educates about electricity. An instructor with the Tinker Technical Center, Mr. Staley is currently the sole instructor for the center's 120-hour AC/DC basic electrical course. "I feel like I'm giving back what I've gained in my 30 years out here," he said. "Giving back some of my experience." That experience includes working as everything from a shop floor helper to a line supervisor on most of the aircraft types maintained at Tinker since the mid-1960s. "Except sheet metal," he says. "I've never done that." The class, one of many that Mr. Staley teaches, serves as a basic primer on direct current and alternating current electricity. Called the AC/DC class, there's no head banging, but plenty of occasional head scratching. "Many people don't realize the difference between electricity and electronics," Mr. Staley said. "Electronics are components. We're talking about AC/DC. We cover the very basics. You gain a basic knowledge of electricity in this class." A mix of theoretical learning and hands-on practice, the class introduces students to the fundamentals of working with direct and alternating current electricity. Class size is normally limited to 10 and includes workers from around Tinker, many of whom already work with electrical components and avionics. "They do their jobs and do them well," Mr. Staley said, "but sometimes they don't have that basic knowledge of electricity." Lee King, a certified Airframe and Power plant mechanic and a former electronic repairman with General Motors, said the class broadened his level of knowledge. "I had all this in A and P school before, but this is a pretty good refresher," Mr. King said. "Don's done an excellent job and I've caught on to a couple of things I didn't really understand before. Every time you go over something, you understand more." For many, the class is a prerequisite to further advancement in their chosen fields. And the general knowledge of electricity provides an element of safety for those working on aircraft electrical systems. Knowing how things work, Mr. Staley said, might keep a worker from making a potentially dangerous mistake. Hands on work with equipment, such as frequency oscillators and the Nida board, gives students the chance to see first-hand some of the electrical theories taught in the class. "By doing the hands-on work, it breaks the monotony of doing bookwork," Mr. Staley said. "A lot of the students prefer the hands-on. You can teach out of the book, but with the hands-on, they can see what you're talking about." Mr. Staley said his experiences at Tinker prepared him for a second career as an instructor. "For years we had a hiring freeze," he explained. "That meant that we moved people to where the work was. They first hired me in engine accessories as a mechanic. But when I retired, it was as a supervisor of electronics." As a young Airman with the Oklahoma Air National Guard, Mr. Staley became a propeller mechanic through one of the technical training schools in the Air Force. "I like giving back some of my knowledge," Mr. Staley said. "I enjoy seeing the light bulbs go off. You get to teach the students and they say, 'I've got it!' You feel like you're giving some knowledge to the students."