Back Shop: Industry Insights

As an A&P mechanic with a more years of experience than I’d care to admit, I am often asked by high school students whether I would recommend they follow this career path. Having spent the largest portion of my career on airline midnight shifts, my easy answer would be "absolutely not, unless you don’t care about having a social life or a normal metabolic rhythm."

In my second career, however, as an aviation safety auditor, I flew around the world three times, got to see the sights most people only dream about and met the movers and shakers of the aviation industry. One of the requirements of the position was extensive background as a mechanic. One does not gain this type of background without having been in the trenches for a number of years. It’s called experience. Maintenance safety auditor is a job I would highly recommend. It pays well, the travel benefits are fabulous, and you get the job satisfaction of knowing you can have a significant impact on aviation safety.

During the course of my career as a safety auditor, I had the occasion to meet the man with the best job in aviation maintenance: director of maintenance for Hendrick Motorsports Aviation. It is a little-known-NASCAR fact that all the major players and teams have what amounts to minor in-house airlines to support the logistics of the racing season. Hendrick Motorsports, based in Concord, North Carolina, operates more Saab 2000s than anyone else in the country, including air carriers. Their hangar operation is immaculate, as is their maintenance. No NASCAR team would have it any other way. They all know the value of a precise, experienced pit crew and that follows through into their aviation departments. When a Hendrick team wins on Sunday, everyone in the organization gets a bonus check Monday. Wouldn’t you love to work for a company like that?

One of the recommendations made following this audit visit was for Mike at Hendrick Motorsports Aviation to get together with his counterparts at Rousche Racing and others based at Concord Airport to form a NASCAR PAMA chapter to enable the sharing of safety information among the teams. I’m happy to say that this suggestion was adopted and the chapter is active today.

I have also met with directors of maintenance for most of the largest and best charter companies in the industry. These people did not move into those jobs right out of school, but worked their way up from entry-level positions, as one would expect. Almost without exception, these highly responsible positions command six-figure salaries and rightfully so.

Corporate flight departments that operate "heavy iron" usually also value precise maintenance. While many of them outsource some maintenance to manufacturer’s facilities, they also need in-house, dependable and knowledgeable employees to monitor and supervise whatever is outsourced. If you’re thinking of applying for a job at a corporate flight department, the first step should be for you to get a tour of the maintenance hangar. Do a preliminary informal interview yourself with one or two current employees. Check the maintenance training program. Check the aircraft. If the floor of the hangar is dirty, tools are in disarray or if there are Skydrol puddles on the floor, ask yourself if what you see meets your personal standards. If not, walk out the door. You and your license deserve better.

Corporate flight departments, for the most part, started out as small, single aircraft operations, just as major corporations generally started out as small businesses. Find one during this formative stage and hitch your wagon to that rising star. Even if the company turns out to be a meteor, the experience you gain will serve you well in your subsequent job. In aviation, as in many other fields of endeavor, with the exception of government service, job security is an illusion. Get all the technical training you can, by whatever means. Make sure this is also a priority of any potential employer.

The bottom line is that if you love maintaining technical equipment like aircraft, there is a place for you in this business. If you also want substantial income, then aim your career toward those niche areas most likely to need and value your skills for the foreseeable future.

To be successful in any field, you should analyze your potential career line the same way you would analyze a stock investment. In fact, you should look at it much more closely because your future directly depends upon that analysis. Choose a company with the best potential for growth and one that recognizes the intrinsic value of your skills to enhance their growth.

Would I recommend aviation maintenance as a career choice? Sure, but in specific areas and with specific companies. Do your homework first and the rest comes easier.