PA Air National Guard Donates Aircraft Engine, Propeller to College

A donation of equipment from the Pennsylvania Air National Guard will enhance educational opportunities for students in Pennsylvania College of Technology's aviation majors.

The equipment, an Allison Turboprop T56-7A engine with a Hamilton Standard four-bladed, variable-pitch propeller, arrived earlier this month at Penn College's Lumley Aviation Center in Montoursville.

The engine and propeller were donated by the Pennsylvania Air National Guard's 193rd Special Operations Wing on behalf of the 193rd Maintenance Group, located at the Harrisburg International Airport in Middletown.

According to the Air National Guard's Lt. Col. David J. Palmer, the engine and propeller are the kind used on EC-130E Hercules aircraft and were used by the 193rd as static trainers for the propulsion shop at Middletown. Each of the aircraft is propelled by four of the 4,250-horsepower engines.

"As we are now converting from EC-130E Hercules aircraft to new EC-130J Hercules aircraft, which have significantly different propulsion systems, the components were declared surplus and no longer needed," Palmer said.

He said the idea of donating equipment came from a member of the 193rd, Tech. Sgt. Charles W. Baughman, whose son, Senior Airman Neil F. Baughman, is enrolled in Penn College's aviation maintenance technology bachelor-degree major.

Palmer said it took the efforts of several people in the Pennsylvania Air National Guard to follow through on the idea. He noted key roles played by Maj. Lisa M. Greason, the Wing Command Staff Judge Advocate, who prepared the extensive documentation required for the donation, and Master Sgt. Thomas S. Lytle, a full-time technician for the 193rd who accompanied Palmer for the delivery.

Lytle said the equipment was assembled from components taken from "crash-damaged" aircraft, noting that, if serviceable, the items would carry a value of about $500,000. If new, the cost would be close to $1 million.

"This kind of equipment is certainly something we couldn't purchase outright," said Colin W. Williamson, Penn College's dean of transportation technology. "This will be a great addition to the Aviation Department. It's another opportunity for the students to take what they learn and apply it to real-world projects."

The Pennsylvania Air National Guard 193rd Special Operations Wing operates the only airborne radio and television psychological-warfare platform in the entire Department of Defense, Palmer said. The 193rd's EC-130E and EC-130J aircraft are airborne radio and TV broadcast centers, used to conduct psychological operations and civil-affairs broadcasts.

For more information about Penn College's aviation technology majors, call the School of Transportation Technology at (570) 327-4516, or send

Photos by James F. Finkler, annual giving officer, and Tom Wilson, news bureau writer/editor