Grant Helps Set Standards for Aircraft Electronics Technicians

A National Science Foundation grant for $499,950 has been awarded to Texas's Tarrant County College (TCC) and four partner institutions. The grant will allow the establishment of the National Center for Aircraft Technical Training (NCATT) (see related story Aviation Maintenance, October 2004). The two-year grant will advance the efforts of TCC and partners Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Pennsylvania College of Technology, San Jose State University, Weatherford College, and the United States Air Force to establish an industry standard for training and certifying aircraft electronics technicians.

In addition to establishing these standards, the group will develop a curriculum that will support the national standards. They also plan to create, with the help of industry, a recognized certification program for aircraft electronics technicians. And finally, the group plans to introduce an accreditation system for institutions meeting the established standards.

"This is the first step in a long overdue certification of aircraft electronics technicians," said Floyd Curtis, division chair of TCC Aeronautical Training. Curtis, who has been spearheading this effort and will continue to do so, will be principal investigator within the group. "Aircraft electronics is the most dynamic aspect of the aviation industry," he said, "with technology advances almost daily. The highly trained technicians need to be recognized from the knowledge and skills they have acquired. We are extremely excited about the opportunities this project will present to the aviation industry through the support of the National Science Foundation," said Curtis. -- By Joy Finnegan

Frontier Celebrates Master Mechanic Tom Hendershot

May 24, the birthday of Charles E. Taylor, has been designated Aviation Maintenance Technician Day in at least 29 states. Frontier Airlines celebrated the day this year at its Denver International Airport headquarters as Frontier's Thomas E. Hendershot received the "Charles Taylor Master Mechanic Award" from the FAA. The award is named for Taylor, who was the Wright Brothers' unsung mechanic. Taylor has been called the father of aviation maintenance and was the builder of the Wright Flyer engine.

Requirements for this award include 50 years experience in aviation maintenance, with at least 30 years as an FAA-certificated mechanic or repairman.

Jeff Potter, president and CEO of Frontier Airlines, credited the quality of work and dedication exhibited by Hendershot as contributing to Frontier's winning the FAA's Diamond Award for maintenance training six years running.

"Our on-time performance and flight completion rate is due in large part to the troubleshooting and high degree of integrity shown by our mechanics," said Ron McClellan, vice president of maintenance and engineering.

Captain Ron Stock, Airbus program manager, stated that he couldn't think of a better person who fit the "master mechanic" title than Hendershot.

Brian Finnegan, president of the Professional Aviation Maintenance Association, called Hendershot "an all-round aviator" dedicated to recognition industry-wide of the role mechanics and technicians play in aviation safety.

"Politicians always say `trust me,'" added Liane McFayden of the Colorado House of Representatives. "But the people who really mean it are the aircraft technicians and mechanics who keep planes flying safe. To you, Tom, you're a true hero, especially because you're always promoting the achievements of others."

Hendershot--who is a pilot, Master CFI (flight instructor), and winner of the 2003 Aviation Maintenance Technician of the Year Award, heads Frontier's AMT Awards Program. He echoed McFayden's comments by citing the creed that mechanics follow to uphold the highest standards of excellence and safety. "We take on a great responsibility in this job," he said, "because there is no margin for error."

Besides a standing ovation and the Taylor Award, Hendershot received a handshake and brief speech by Rueben Taylor, grandson of Charles E. Taylor, plus recognition plaques from PAMA and the Colorado Aeronautical Board. -- By Vicki P. McConnell

Illegal Aliens in Maintenance Raise Safety Questions

Illegal immigrants take care of our children, pick our strawberries, drive our taxis, and play a vital, if not underground, role in the U.S. economy. So it was no surprise this past March when the federal government uncovered 27 illegal aliens working at aircraft maintainer TIMCO at Piedmont/Triad Airport in Greensboro, North Carolina and then arrested 14 more working as janitors at Boston Logan Airport. A raid on paint company Leading Edge Aviation in Amarillo, Texas early this year also netted 39 illegal aliens working in the hangar.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have arrested 1,000 illegal aliens working in various U.S. aviation businesses in the last year.

ICE, part of the Department of Homeland Security, has conducted investigations at 196 airports and audited more than 5,800 businesses under what it calls Operation Tarmac. The ongoing sting targets employers and unauthorized workers who have access to sensitive areas at airports. More than 5,800 unauthorized airport workers have been identified, and in addition to the 1,000 arrests, ICE has issued 775 criminal indictments.

It's clear that the system has broken down when illegal workers numbering in the hundreds and thousands are using fraudulent driver's licenses, social security numbers, and counterfeit immigration residence cards to obtain employment at airports, maintenance companies, defense contractors, and aerospace manufacturers.

But an illegal alien is not necessarily a terrorist. Many studies estimate that there are approximately 10 million illegal aliens in the U.S., give or take a million or two. Just how concerned should the industry be that 27 were found working at TIMCO, with six holding valid A&P certificates? Five of the six were subcontracted from Florida-based S.M.A.R.T, and presumably their skill levels were equivalent to those of their peers.

"After the TIMCO incident, the FAA investigated six people who allegedly supplied false information in order to take their A&P exams," said FAA spokesman Les Dorr, Jr., adding that all six had passed the required tests. "Our investigation determined that four of those people had legitimate documents required to take the A&P exams. We are still investigating the situation of the remaining two individuals."

So if qualifications aren't an issue, then what is? Jobs for one. U.S. airlines have cut hundreds of mechanics jobs since the 2001 recession. Hundreds more jobs are threatened by the airlines' continued bleeding.

"The ability to work in the United States is dependent on compliance with American laws," said Brian Finnegan, president, Professional Aviation Maintenance Association. "There are a lot of American citizens licensed to work in this country that are losing their jobs."

"I can't understand why anyone would condsider hiring illegal aliens with so many qualified techinicians losing their jobs," Finnegan added.

Third-party maintenance providers like TIMCO are different beasts than airline maintenance shops, however, and subject to fluctuations in manpower needs.

"An airline has a steady stream of work that is very predictable," said Mark Moran, executive vice president, operations, Continental Airlines, and former head of maintenance. "But because of the peaks and valleys, third parties need more flexibility in staffing." That said, he added that the "biggest pool of mechanics for third-parties" should be laid-off airline workers.

TIMCO president and COO Gil West agreed with both of Moran's points. "The model for independent MROs is based on the ability to flex your workforce based on volume," he said. "We have a core group of TIMCO-direct employees that we need for a minimum or mid-level amount of work, and [we] staff for peaks and valleys with contract labor. It allows us to be more cost competitive because [airlines] don't have the ability to flex their force." West added that all contract labor such as the A&P mechanics subcontracted from S.M.A.R.T are paid wages nearly equivalent to full-time employees. "There is no savings in utilizing a contract employee." He also further emphasized that TIMCO "would never hire someone that didn't have the right to work in the U.S.," and the company does hire mechanics from the pool of laid-off airline workers.

Since the incident, TIMCO has ended its relationship with S.M.A.R.T., according to West, and will hold future contractors to stricter standards regarding the hiring of illegal aliens.

West also stressed that the illegal aliens holding the A&P certificates worked primarily in the interiors shop and did not have access to restricted areas. As such, none of them held SIDA (secure identification display area) badges. "At no time was aircraft safety or security compromised," he said.

Areas in an airport deemed "secure" require anyone accessing those areas to have a SIDA badge. To get such a badge requires a 10-year FBI background check. The airport designates what areas it deems secure and must submit that plan to the Transportation Security Administration for approval.

Airports can also issue a certain number of temporary badges to individuals who need to access secure areas on the airport,

but then those individuals must be escorted by someone who

does have a SIDA badge, said a TSA spokesperson. -- By Barry Rosenberg

No matter the size of the maintenance company or operation, there are laws that must be followed when hiring new personnel to work for U.S.-based companies. In addition to the legal requirements, there are also practical considerations: is the technician properly qualified, trained, and able to perform at the high level required for the job?

"High-quality screening methods are essential," said Douglas Anweiler, vice president, corporate marketing and communications at staffing company Reliance Aerotech Services.

Reliance, which provides contract maintenance personnel to maintenance organizations, checks the background of all potential employees, according to Ron Jordan, general manager. The checks include verification of employment eligibility (I-9 form), validation of the prospect's social security number, and checking the applicant's FAA certificate status. After these checks, the company also has background and criminal records checks done, using a third-party provider.

The criminal background checks "can be tricky," said Jordan, because there is no way to crosscheck records between different states. The federal criminal records check is simpler, but one would have to check every state to see if the applicant had a record in that state.

"It's difficult," said Jordan, "because these guys travel all the time, they're kind of nomadic. They could have committed crimes in all 50 states. We try to focus on the federal check and a state check in the home of record."

The cost of a background check varies, he added, "depending on how deep you want to go." Reliance can adjust the level of background checking based on the customer's level of risk. A technician working with lots of supervision in an area where security isn't an issue might not need as deep a background check. But, with less supervision available, he said, "you probably need to crank the quality of the screening process up higher."

"You save money by having quality personnel," concluded Reliance Aerotech's Anweiler, "that's the bottom line. It's tough getting that across when everyone wants to cut costs relentlessly, but that's what the industry needs to look at."

At L-3 Vertex Aerospace, which specializes in military and government aircraft maintenance personnel, "we start with what everybody is supposed to start with," said Bill Grosvenor, human resources director. L-3 Vertex can hire only U.S. citizens or permanent resident aliens, which excludes aliens with work visas.

L-3 Vertex checks the applicant's I-9 employment eligibility verification form then has a background check done by a third-party vendor. "We check and verify the social security number, date of birth, residency, and the last two employers," said Grosvenor. "In the background check, we verify that the social security number is really theirs. It confirms they are who they say they are." L-3 Vertex also has a criminal background check done on the applicant.

"Background checks aren't free," Grosvenor said. "They cost anywhere from $60 to $200 a person. We don't do it until we determine we want to hire them and make them an offer. We make a contingent offer, if they pass the drug screen and background check. If they don't pass either, the job offer is null and void."

Any size maintenance company needs to check job applicants's backgrounds, Grosvenor emphasized. "Anybody that doesn't go through at least a minimum background check--residency, past employment, validation of social security number--is taking an extreme risk. It's kind of a last check to validate your gut feel that you've got the right guy." -- By Matt Thurber