The Groton AVCRAD (Aviation Classification Repair Activity Depot) facility is the East coast’s largest repair facility for army helicopters. Technicians at the depot have developed hundreds of special tools that allow them to safely handle heavy and awkward engine parts as they repair them. The Army is now building a similar repair facility in Iraq to support the helicopters there.

The new repair depot in Iraq is now in need of some of these special tools that the Groton facility created. Many of these special tools were built on the spot and never formalized into drawings. With an urgent need for duplicate sets of these tools, the Grasso Tech Computer Aided Drafting and Design shop has created a series of engineering drawings of the existing tooling.  The students in grades 11 and 12 have embarked on a long-range collaboration with the Groton AVCRAD for creating engineering drawing sets. These drawings all comply with industrial standards, and are used by machinists who create all of the special tools used for repairing Blackhawk helicopters.

Students measured every component and special parts and materials have been located from industrial sources. This is a process that designers call “reverse engineering.” The students then record the shape and size of the component using a computer drafting program. Industrial dimensions and symbols were then added to insure that the part would be accurately reproduced. This collaboration benefitted students who achieved real-world skills and the Groton facility which will use these technical drawings to duplicate the fixtures and support our soldiers overseas.