Job MarketAviation
Education Consultants your LinkVolume 5 Issue #3 Summer 2001
Mechanic Shortage to Worsen
Make It Fly Foundation
Nuts & Bolts
Prop & Rotor
Job Market
FAA News
From the Editor
Airshow Schedules
AEC Graduates
U.S. Department of Labor Projects Annual Deficit of Aviation Mechanics and Technicians
Representative James Oberstar, ranking Democratic member of the U.S.
House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure has asked the U.S.
General Accounting Office to assess the growing problem of the shortage of aviation
mechanics and technicians.
Oberstar requested the project because general aviation faces an acute
lack of qualified airframe and powerplant mechanics and avionics technicians. Within the
next decade, the inadequate number of aviation mechanics and technicians will jeopardize
the growth of general aviation as well as create a serious safety issue unless measures
are taken to reverse the situation.
According to statistics complied by the U.S. Labor Department, at least
12,000 newly licensed airframe and powerplant mechanics will be needed to keep up with the
growth of the aviation industry as well as compensate for the retirement of experienced
mechanics. But the aviation industry is not seeing significant increases in the number of
new A & P's or avionics technicians entering the work force.
A combination of factors contribute to the growing shortage of aviation
mechanics and avionics technicians. Some of these factors include: traditional sources of
mechanics and technicians drying up, low wages/ lack of benefits, competition within and
outside the aviation industry, and retirement of experienced mechanics.
Two traditional sources of new aircraft mechanics and avionics
technicians are the military services and technical schools. After years of military
cutbacks, the number of aviation mechanics and technicians available to civilian aviation
has been greatly reduced. Incentive programs abound in the military aimed at keeping their
experienced personnel on active duty. All of which means fewer skilled mechanics and
technicians for the civilian aviation world.
As for technical schools, the number of graduates has not kept pace
with the demand. Technical schools face two major problems in recruiting students. First
of all, the romantic lure of aviation has vanished. Today's young person sees aviation as
nothing more than another means of transportation. Growing up in a high-tech world of
videos and computers doesn’t make them eager to get their hands dirty fixing greasy
airplanes. Therefore, aviation technical schools are finding it difficult to compete with
the entertainment, "dotcom", utility, and electronic industries who recruit from
the same manpower pool for skilled mechanics and technicians.
Currently, the shortage of skilled mechanics and technicians hurts
general aviation more than commercial aviation. This is due to the low wages and lack of
benefits paid by general aviation, which forces many mechanics and technicians into
working for major airlines. In recent years, the airlines have experienced an explosive
growth in business.
This means they need more aviation mechanics and technicians to keep
their fleets in the air. Faced with a shrinking pool of aviation mechanics, they take both
entry-level and experienced mechanics. This means fewer mechanics are available for
general aviation which traditionally trained the inexperienced, entry-level mechanics who
worked for low pay to gain experience.
Not only does the aviation industry have to contend with competition
within the industry, it also faces competition from outside the aviation industry. As
mentioned earlier, the entertainment, "dotcom" utility, and electronics
industries are siphoning off skilled workers. These companies offer better pay, benefits
and working conditions than either the airlines or general aviation can offer. Because
they recognize the technical skills an aviation mechanic or technician possesses, they are
willing to pay superior wages. They need aviation mechanics or technicians to maintain
sophisticated arcade rides, elevators, and electronic business systems.
Another factor contributing to the growing shortage of aircraft
mechanics and technicians is the impending retirement of Vietnam era mechanics. When these
men retire, 40 years of knowledge and experience go with them. It will not be easy to
replace this expertise.
Nor will it be easy to slow or halt the trend that is leading toward an
acute shortage of aircraft mechanics and technicians. Unless the aviation industry wants
to come to a screeching halt, it must do something because no aircraft can leave the
ground without having been serviced by an aircraft mechanic or avionics technician.
Representative Oberstar's research project is one step, but more airlines might want to
help underwrite the training of future aircraft mechanics and avionics technicians. More
young people must be convinced that aviation maintenance is an attractive career. The Make
It Fly Foundation has the right goal but commercial, general and even military aviation
need to contribute more time and money to make it fly. (See below article.)
Information for the above article came from the June 2001 Aviation
Maintenance; October 9, 2000 and April 17,2001 Aviation Week & Space and
Technology.
[Back to Index]
Make It Fly Foundation
Realizing steps must be taken to encourage young people to become
aviation mechanics and technicians, the aviation community has come together to form the
Make It Fly Foundation. The mission of this foundation is "to successfully promote
aviation as a valued career path and to encourage the advancement and positive development
of future generations of aviation technicians".
Composed of aviation companies, organizations and learning
institutions, Make It Fly Foundation members hope to alleviate the growing shortage of
aviation technicians through education, outreach and career counseling. One Foundation
milestone is the Hangar Tours Program. Youth participating in the program are encouraged
to visit aircraft hangars and maintenance facilities. The purpose of this program is to
raise awareness among young people about technical careers available in aviation.
According to Foundation research, the best way to interest youth in an aviation career is
a hands on experience.
The Hangar Tours Program gets youth to the airport where they can
experience first hand what it takes to make an airplane work. Parents, teachers, and
counselors are encouraged to participate in this program, too. In a companion program, the
Foundation facilitates the donation of aviation equipment to schools.
For more information: The Make It
Fly Foundation
P.O. Box 276
Addison, TX 75001
1-800-788-4707
www.MakeItFly.com
[Back to Index]
Nuts & Bolts
What is Memorial Day?
Recently the news has been filled with reminders of the Pearl Harbor
attack of December 7, 1941. Hollywood has jumped on the bandwagon with a movie, which by
all accounts is very good. There is even a new and updated series of the "G.I.
Joe" toy supposedly honoring the WW 11 serviceman.
There also has been a protracted movement to build a WW 11 memorial in
our nation’s capital. This project has turned into a way of sorts with people voicing
diverse opinions. A memorial is no doubt appropriate, but as we observed Memorial Day last
month I began to wonder. How much do we honor those who gave the ultimate to ensure our
freedom? I thought it might be timely to share the following with you. Memorial Day was
first observed in IW as Decoration Day, because women decorated the graves of their fallen
Civil War sons, brothers, and husbands. In a speech given in Keene, N.1-L, on 30 May IBK
Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. expressed the meaning of the occasion thusly:
"It is not of the dead alone that we think on this day. There are those still living whose sex forbade them to offer their lives, but who gave instead their happiness. Every year - in the full tide of spring, at the height of the symphony of flowers and love and life - there comes a pause, and through the silence we hear the lonely pipe of death.Year after year, lovers wandering under the apple trees and through the clover and deep grass are surprised with sudden tears as they see black veiled figures stealing through the morning to a soldier's grave. But grief is not the end of all. I see beyond the forest moving banners of a hidden column. Our dead brothers still live for us, and bid us think of life, not death - of life to which in their youth they lent the passion and joy of spring. As I listen, the chorus of life and joy begins again, and amid the awful orchestra of seen and unseen powers and destinies of good and evil, our trumpets sound once more a riot of daring hope and will."
In 1959, after yet more wars and warriors had come and gone, Congress declared that a
day be set aside in memory of those who died serving our country. Originally it was May
30; now it is observed on the last Monday in May.
Joseph R. Stroud
Above quote taken from -"Little Known But Interesting Facts."
[Back to Index]
Prop & Rotor
Be A Professional, Look It Up
I have noticed an increase in the number of people who ask me
questions about aviation regulations and procedures. I'm not talking about those
individuals who want to learn to fly or those who desire to add to their ratings. I'm
referring to individuals who don't want to be bothered with looking something up.
While I'm extremely flattered these folks think that I know everything
I’m disturbed by the tendency of some people to take the word of someone as fact
without verifying it.
When did this practice start? I have a theory-since I apparently know
all - this must be a fact. It started with a student asking a question of a teacher/
instructor. Happy the student was interested in the subject, the teacher/ instructor
answered the question. The student thought. 'That was easy, I got the answer without even
opening a book.
The word got a round, as it often does with students, that if you asked
a question, the teacher/ instructor would answer it. This saves the student time because
now he or she doesn't have to took it up.
It soon became easier for teachers/instructors to include the answers
to the most frequently asked questions in their instruction. Now the teacher/ instructor
became the source of information rather than a guideto the source.
I don’t want to give the wrong impression here. I train
professional pilots and as an instructor, I agree with the adage the only dumb questions
are the questions that are never asked. But I think when the student asks a question, the
teacher/ instructor should sometimes say, "why don’t we look that up and see if
we can find the answer.'
Bob Hanson
[Back to
Index]
A visit to the FAA website netted the following news brief:
T'he FAA is distributing posters to air carriers., contractors, unions and
subcontractors to remind employees that they are protected under the agency's
Whistleblower Protection Program-L The program protects employees against discrimination
for providing information to their employer or the federal government for violations of
any FAA order, regulation or standard related to air carrier safety.
The FAA and the Department of Labor's (DOL) Occupational Safety and
Health Administration (OSHA) have joint responsibility for enforcing the law. The FAA
investigates alleged safety violations. OSHA investigate employee complaints of alleged
discriminations by air carriers.
The FAA posters contain information about the program how to file a
complaint, and lists phone numbers for FAA and OSHA contacts around the country. The
FAA has also created a web site to help provide information to air carriers and employee.
The site is located at www.faa.gov/avr/afs/osha/osha.htm.
Mechanics
Don’t forget the 2001 FAA/ NASCAR AMF Awards Program Contest.
This chance to win neat prizes is open to any mechanic who applies for any AMF award this
year. Application for an award automatically enters a mechanic into the contest. If you
haven’t met the requirements and applied for any of the five awards in the FAA
Aviation Maintenance Technician Awards program, there is still time to qualify. The
contest began January 1, 2001 and runs until December 31, 2001.
Twenty-two prizes ranging from five nights in Hawaii to a set of
Michelin tires will be awarded to mechanics qualifying for the awards program. For further
information, visit www.faa.gov/fsdo/bhm
[Back to Index]
I hope you enjoy this issue of the Link. While researching the
article about the pending mechanic and technician shortage, I realized once again how
important mechanics and technicians are to the future of aviation. Without people to fix
the planes our country flies, aviation will come to a screeching halt.
Think about it. Goodbye to overnight delivery for business, goodbye to
flying to exotic places for a vacation, goodbye to medical evacuation for critically ill
patients. The list of ways aviation has changed our lives is endless.
Perhaps we should all do more than think about it. Perhaps we should
encourage a young person we know to think aviation when he or she talks of a future
career.
Ginger Hanson
[Back to Index]
U.S. Helicopter
Hiring general mechanics with major component overhaul experience. Power train and
engine systems. Helicopter experience preferred. Starting pay: $11.80
Competitive benefits
Call: 334-774-2529 Fax: 334-774-6756
American Trans Air
ATA Ls looking for senior A&P Mechanics. The applicant should have at least two
years of commercial experience or four years of military experience working on heavy jets.
ATA operates and maintains 72Ts, 757s, L1011's, and the new 737-8W's. Mechanic positions
will be available at Midway Airport (MDW) in Chicago, IL; Denver, CO (DEN), and Baltimore,
MD (BWI). Pay is based upon experience. Excellent benefit package available.
For more information or to request an application contact Rich Scott:
Phone: 317-282-5933 or 800-626-3814 email- Richard.Scott@ IFLYATA.COM
[Back to Index]
July 13 – 14: Pensacola Beach Airshow, FL
www.visitpensacola.com
July 14: Wings over Columbus, Columbus AFB, MS
Sept 7 – 9: Wings Over Dixie 2001, Atlanta, GA
Peachtree City – Falcon Field
Sept 29 – 30: Wings and Wheels 2001, Bessemer, AL
July 24 – 30: 2001 Air Venture, Oshkosh, WI
www.airventure.org
October 5 – 7: SERFI 2001, Evergreen, AL
www.geocities.com/serfi/
[Back to
Index]
ALABAMA. Robert Johnston, Daphne; Marshall Mitchell, Lexington; Larry Gentner, Enterprise.
GEORGIA- Mike Hutcheson, Evans and Shawn Debow, Martinez.
FLORIDA.- Daniel Moya, Orange Park; Mark Lebel, Crestview; John David, Miami.
NORTH CAROLINA.- Stefan Schmid, Ismael Salgado and Scott Summers, Goldsboro.
MARYLAND-. Richard Sturm, Hanover (G & PP).
MINNESOTA.- Daniel Comes, Coon Rapids.
TEXAS- Paul Cardenas, El Paso.
Five of our A & P students are from SOUTH AFRICA: Abraham Duplessis, Hartbeespood; Willem- Abraham Dippenaar, and Andries Horn, Pretoria; Casper Du Plooy, Kempton Park; and Frans Greeff, Boksberg.
Five students completed the General and Airframe Prep Course to earn their AF certificates: Danny Crews, Montgomery, AL; Mamadou Gaye, APO Germany; Brian Melder, Daphne, AL; Cary Dubois, Mobile, AL; and Jason Elsken, Lancaster, OH.
Two students completed the 0 & P Prep Course for their A & P Licenses: Phillip Dickerson, APO Germany and John Lawler Byron, MN.
One student completed the prep course to earn the General and Powerplant certificate: Shawn Culley, Enterprise, AL. Three students added the Powerplant to their certificates: Rod Sanchez, Kingsland, CA; Clay Robinson, Dothan, AL; and Jim Tuck, Blountsville, AL.
On the flight side, six students completed the A.E.C.- courses:
FET: Sean Jackson, Mouldin, S.C and Ted Scoggins, Crestview, FL.
CAX/ IRA: Bill Tremblay, Navarre, FL.
CAX: Mike Rother, Navarre, FL. and Tim Ramsey, Gulf Shores, AL.
FEX: Benny Hardman, Daleville, AL,
Fifty-three military flight students chose to attend A.E.C seminars to complete the FAA retirement for the Military Competency. 29 students used the self-study course at the Ozark office to take their test. Upon completion of flight school, these students will receive their Commercial Helicopter Certificate with Instrument Rating.
AEC also had one student complete the FCC course.- Michael Love,
Daleville, AL.
[Back to
Index]
Hours of Operation:
Ozark Office: Monday - Friday 8 am - 5 pm
334-774-5980 1-800-226-5980 Fax 334-774-1373
Enterprise Office: By Appointment Only
334-393-6671
[Back to Index]
A.E.C. Staff:
Owner: Leon
Ward
Test Site Supervisor:
Gayle Johnson
Test Administrator:
Freda Ward
A&P Instructor:
Jack Howatt
Publicity: Ginger
Hanson
Designated Mechanic Examiners: Jimmy Nichols
Dan
Riley
Adjunct Faculty: Joe Stroud
Lew Flowers
Bob Hanson
Jim Bass
[Back to Index]
If you would like The Link emailed to you after its quarterly publication (March, June, September and December), send us your email address. Just so you know...we do not send spam, nor, do we publish, sell, rent, or give out email addresses collected by this site.
The Link is a free publication of Aviation Education Consultants. Copyright 2001 by
Talespin Publications, http://www.avedco.com All
rights reserved. None of this newsletter or any portion of it, may be e-mailed,
posted or distributed in any manner without the expressed written permission of The
Link and the authors of the individual articles.
[Back to Index]
