PROFILE Advantage Mototok:
MORE SPACE – BETTER HANDLING
for your Operations. 12 Years
Engineering and Quality.
German of
Highfill was still in his late 20s when he became DOM at Avbase. Luckily, he had some help preparing for the job from his supervisor before he resigned. “My supervisor coached me along and taught me how to do the routine tasks that a DOM does,” Highfill shares. “He taught me how to do conformity checks, write AAIPs and GOM supplements, and how to manage and create MELs for the aircraft. I credit much of my success to him.”
The ability to move a wide range of
aircraft types becomes an ease with Mototok. Depending on the nose wheel size and the gross weight of the aircraft, you can choose one of
4 Mototok models. Regardless the size of the aircraft – Mototok excels in narrow situations: Park your aircraft safely, easily and effectively and save space in the process.
We offer units that work with the following weights: Model
Towing capacity
61,700lbs
528 28 t
M
TWIN 6500
110,200lbs 209,400lbs 429,900lbs 50 t 95 t 195 t
SPACER 8600
SPACER 195
DOM CHALLENGES We asked Highfill if there were any challenges when he became a DOM. “Yes, there are new challenges every day,” he says. “Each day is a learning experience that teaches me to effectively deal with those same challenges again in the future. For example, going from a paper-based system to a computer-based system that was up and coming at the time. I was prepared for it, knowing computer systems were becoming more popular, and the fact that I was skilled in computer software helped a great deal.” “The company was growing and had
Want to know, how it works? Watch the video on
www.mototok.com/space
Innovative electric driven tugs
Mototok America LLC 3028 Peacekeeper Way McClellan, CA 95652 / USA Phone: +1-916-580-4977 Fax: +1-916-641-8969
remote controlled
aircraft in five locations in the country,” he adds. “I enjoyed the business — every day I learned something useful or new.” Avbase managed a fleet of aircraft including Lears, Gulfstreams, Hawkers and Citations. We asked Highfill if it was difficult to keep the mechanics trained on such a wide variety of aircraft. “It was challenging,” he says. “A lot of the training was based on OJT. But we also sent our mechanics to training courses, and it was sometimes challenging to coordinate our training schedule with our maintenance requirements.”
Mototok International GmbH Hohenzollernstr. 47
D-47799 Krefeld / Germany Phone: +49-2151-65083-82 Fax: +49-2151-624-673
info@mototok.com ·
www.mototok.com 03 2015 10
2955-AZ-DOM.indd 1 20.02.15 09:33
ELITE AIR Highfill worked at Avbase until the business closed down in 2006. He then moved to Florida and took a job with Elite Air. The company had four aircraft when he started. Working with the owner, he helped rewrite the GOM supplement for the CAMP program, giving them 10 or more capabilities. This helped Elite Air grow to 18 aircraft. “While I was there, we
pioneered the first-ever U.S.-registered Part 135 base of operations in St. Petersburg, Russia,” he says.
INDIANAPOLIS JET CENTER Highfill wanted to continue to grow in his career. He saw an opportunity when he moved to Indianapolis to work for Indianapolis Jet Center (now Comlux). Highfill was hired to start a landing gear shop under the company’s Part 145 certificate. “We started from scratch,” Highfill says. “I worked in the landing gear shop while at Gulfstream, so I was comfortable helping them start a landing gear shop. We set up the shop for Challenger and Falcon aircraft, primarily all of the Challenger product line.” After completing several landing gear jobs and assisting in the set up of the shop, Highfill desired more of a career challenge that was in line with his skill set, which lead him to ARINC.
ARINC
Highfill left Indianapolis Jet Center and went to work in Colorado Springs for ARINC as its DOM. “It was the biggest challenge that I had ever undertaken,” Highfill tells D.O.M. magazine. “I revamped the maintenance program and made some personnel changes. When I was hired on, we had 12 or 13 mechanics plus the parts, avionics and structures department personnel. I had around 20 people who reported to me. I began to turn the business around for them on the financial end. After a couple of months, I was promoted to general manager. I went from overseeing 20 people to managing a facility of around 60 people.” Highfill says that within the first year of his employment the division’s profits soared tremendously to over $1 million. “We were doing a number of different projects,” he says. “We did installations, integrations and maintenance. We did heavy inspections in support of the airlines. We also supported a number of various government projects.” Highfill says that in the mid-2000’s, the Carlisle group bought ARINC, and after a few quarters they decided to sell ARINC’s aviation services division that Highfill managed.
DOMmagazine
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