Back Shop: Change Agent

John Reyes and Marc Summers created a Web site where aircraft technicians can find answers, blog or just meet other mechanics. AircraftMechanix.com was developed less than a year ago and has already quadrupled its members.

AM: How does the Web site help mechanics?

J&M: We know how it is to work at a facility for a few months, make some friends, and then leave not knowing when you will talk to those technicians again. Our site helps aviation technicians keep in touch with their current friends and buddies, as well as find old friends. That’s our "Mechanic Search" feature. A lot of technicians tend to have technical issues, questions and problems they can’t solve themselves. We created the "Forum" feature so technicians could seek the advice of more experienced technicians to help them solve their problems. Other features our site includes are "Latest Aviation News," "Aviation Events," "Aviation Photos," the ability to create your own unique "Aviation Profile," "Polls," "Job Search," "School Search," and more.

Besides the features, our main goal is to promote professionalism in the industry and to help aviation technicians work together and respect each other as professionals. To that end, we are implementing the standards and beliefs of quality and integrity into everything on the site in an attempt to raise the current moral and level of professionalism in the workplace. We are focused on helping technicians take more pride in the work they do and to not accept poor workmanship. We want more honest and ethical decisions from technicians who swore to do the best they could on every job when they first came into this industry. We are also aiding in training new rookie technicians with little experience in the field who would like to expand their knowledge of aviation maintenance.

AM: How did you get involved in aviation maintenance?

Marc: First, I never thought I would get involved in aviation maintenance. My high school automotive teacher spoke highly of mechanics in the aviation maintenance industry but I never took an interest in the idea. For two years after graduating, I worked repetitive, dead-end jobs. Out of boredom I’d quit and search for a new job, which was at the same time interesting and more of a challenge. After a few weeks of being unemployed, I attended a job fair and found what I was looking for, aviation maintenance. I was pretty fortunate to be accepted by a company offering to take me on and train me in their sheet metal apprentice program.

John: I had been waiting tables for a few years when I began in this industry. My mother kept pushing this application for a program that the college she worked for (St. Phillips College Southwest Campus) was having. Basically they would pay for me to learn structures/sheet metal repairs for the general aviation aircraft. So I gave in, and nine years later am still enjoying the art of being the last of the true craftsman in our field. The only problem I have been dealing with is the lack of respect, manners and courtesy from our fellow aviation technicians; one of the many other reasons for helping Marc with this site. So in the long run, we shall see if we can make a difference in this area as well.

AM: Why did you get involved in Web site development?

J&M: We saw the need for it. From being in aviation maintenance, we realized how much more connected and stronger our industry could be if there was a way to get all AMTs on the same page. The World Wide Web provided a quick solution to our problem and is a great asset to what we’re trying to do. Also, word of mouth in the aviation industry tends to work pretty well both in a negative and positive sense but it isn’t enough to keep all the technicians up-to-date with what’s going on in the industry. We figured that one universal site for all aviation technicians would do the trick and keep everyone up to par.

AM: How is the maintenance/Web marriage working out?

J&M: It’s working out great and the mechanics are really catching on. We get daily thank you e-mails from all over the world from mechanics that truly appreciate our efforts to unite the aviation maintenance industry and give them a reason to be proud to be an aviation technician.

AM: What are your future plans/opportunities for the site?

J&M: We plan to open a dialogue for technicians to talk about what problems they think are plaguing the industry and what steps we can take to resolving those issues. We plan on finding a way to require more training both physically and mentally for aviation technicians who are entering the industry. We feel if our future aviation technicians are trained and examined more thoroughly, fewer mistakes will be made, and less money will be needlessly spent to fix those mistakes.