Among the cadre of support personnel that are busy performing the many tasks necessary to make any airline flight happen is Joe Banyai, aircraft maintenance and overhaul support technician for American Airlines.

Banyai entered the aviation maintenance field becuase he was simply awestruck with the phenomenal technology that makes airplanes fly.

"The first thing that really attracted me into the aviation technician field was when I worked ramp services for American Airlines," said Banyai. "Looking from the ground up, I was always fascinated on how a huge piece of aluminum can fly." So he found a program to gain certification to work on aircraft.

"I had an opportunity to go into an aviation maintenance academy that specializes in the field," explained Banyai. "After 22 months of intensive FAA-mandated training in airframe and powerplants, I graduated with an associates degree in AMT technologies."

For Banyai it took a few years of waiting to finally get his chance to begin working on aircraft. "The thing I was most interested in is how so many systems can be intertwined and work together even though they were all distinctively different," he said. "If they were not in sync, you have to tear them apart and find out why. That's the part I love the most, tearing something apart to not only find a problem, but to reassemble it to a maintenance manual standard and specification."

Banyai has worked on hundreds of aircraft engines and has serviced airplanes that fly all over the globe. For him, his greatest accomplishment is working with his fellow mechanics. "The most notable accomplishment I have made was probably my record of not only repairing aircraft safely and properly, but working with the best group of maintenance techs in the world" said Banyai. "When a mechanic starts off, he has to learn a whole new world of how things work and the proper procedures to be taken. Your concern is not only limited to working on the aircraft to be repaired, but you're also vigilant about your safety, your fellow employees, and the flying public as well. One mishap can prove to be fatal."

Banyai pointed out that most people don't know or appreciate how much preparation there is prior to flight. "I'm proud to be in this field, since there are many knowledgeable people who make this all happen every day. When you hear people say they had a great flight and are happy to be home or wherever they are safely, you're an invisible person that was part of that happening."

Aircraft contain some of the most complex technological systems in the engineering world. It's difficult to know everything about every part and component within the systems, but Banyai believes that his role as an aviation maintenance technician is always to be learning and improving upon what he already knows.

"The anecdote that I always remember that has been dead on is, the A&P certificate is not that you know everything, but that it's a license to learn," he said. "With all the hydraulics, pneumatics, avionics and wiring, navigation systems, structures in sheet metal, cables, and eerything, you can see how difficult it can be to know all the systems on so many different aircraft types. It makes every day interesting."

The airline industry is highly competitive and has pressure upon it to provide the utmost in safety to its passengers at low cost. The role that the aviation maintenance technician plays for a company like American Airlines is critical. A keen sense of what that aircraft needs to get to its destination safely is more important than ever.

This is something that Banyai deals with daily. "A typical day in the life of the technician is when you have an aircraft that comes to your station either with something damaged or not working as it should or even working fine," he explained. "It's our job to give the aircraft a comb over, to fix the problems that we know about, or see, and those that we don't necessarily see." The inspection process is one that depends upon the knowledge, experience, and acuity of the technician. "There's been occasions where things were working just fine," said Banyai. "Upon detailed inspection, it was found to be the contrary. It's our job to find matters before they find us."

Joe Banyai is living out his ambition and fulfilling his early curiosity to learn and understand what make aircraft fly. He is involved in an industry that many have come to rely upon for regular travel. Since the deregulation of the airline industry, competition has grown intense. When the competition gets fierce, every little inch in the process becomes critical, and this affects the morale of people working in the industry. "Publicized and unpublicized management decisions, high layoffs and turnovers, cost of tools and materials, high tuition costs, and heavy responsibilities for lower pay and benefits makes one wonder if the industry will ever come back," said Banyai.�

In spite of severe cost cutting and how this might affect workmanship and safety, Banyai remains proud of his workmanship and dedication to his profession. "For those looking for knowledgeable and sharp individuals for their workforce, look no further than an aircraft mechanic," he said.

-By Jim Romeo