PROFILE
today for their original number of members as “The Ninety- Nines.”
This month, we bring you yet another interesting story of a highly-dedicated woman and her very unique aviation career. Eva Metodi is the director of operations for Dallas, TX-based Southwest Airframe & Tank Services (SWAT), a mobile aircraft maintenance organization specializing in on site aircraft fuel leak repair and on site airframe structural repair, primarily within the business jet market. Metodi was born in Israel in 1975. She grew up as a
normal child of her era and country. In her teens, Metodi had an interest of becoming a military pilot. This was not possible for her at the time due to a minor hearing loss. She decided she wanted to attend Military High School in Tel Aviv, Israel and become an aircraft mechanic – much to her father’s dismay and advice against it because “she was a girl.” She signed up and within a short period of time and much study Metodi excelled in her academics and began study in mechanical engineering. That same father is quite a proud man today. This point in life is where Metodi discovered she had a great passion for aircraft maintenance. After two years of mechanical engineering studies Metodi graduated high school in 1993 and attended The Technological College in Tel Aviv, Israel from 1993-1995, where she obtained an associate’s degree in technical engineering.
Metodi completed her service to her country in1997, honorably discharged with the rank of Sergeant. With her two years of IDF military service complete Metodi was recruited by Israeli Aircraft Industries. She started as a production mechanic and worked her way up. Many IAI employees spend their entire career specializing in one system or another. Metodi completed her training on all of the G200 systems. Once trained and again educated on a particular airframe Metodi was off ered a position as a crew lead in production. She was reluctant to take this position because of the enormous responsibility in coordinating her team’s part of the aircraft delivery to Gulfstream. Millions of dollars were at stake according to Metodi if an aircraft wasn’t delivered on time. She was in charge of 75 people ranging from 23-57 years of age – all men, all educated technicians. Tragedy struck on September 11, 2001 during Metodi’s
After graduating from college Metodi enlisted in the Israeli Defense Forces in 1995. Her military career began as a technician on the F-16. “I had a choice of aircraft I could work on and I preferred the F-15 over the F-16,” Metodi tells D.O.M. magazine. “The F-16 was too “electronic” so I switched to the F-15 program. This aircraft was more mechanical and I enjoyed working on it.”
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DOMmagazine.com | mar 2017
career at IAI. The eff ects of 9/11 were felt worldwide in our industry. There were massive layoff s at IAI and her job position would soon change. Metodi was off ered and accepted a position as technical engineer on the G150 after completing training. She explains she worked with a team of 12 engineers. Some of her responsibilities included interpretation of drawings and maintenance manuals, design change pre-approval implementation, as well as assisting the customer with understanding the changes that were applicable to their aircraft. Metodi supported the G200 as well for IAI in the U.S. mainly repairing malfunctioning systems or components according to FAA regulations. While working on G200- 005 fuel system at Alliance Airport in Ft. Worth, TX Metodi met John Stewart with SWAT. He was impressed with her knowledge and expertise on the G200 fuel system and off ered her a job in 2001. Metodi declined and continued her engineering job with IAI. Years later, feeling that she wanted more out her career, Metodi decided she wanted to obtain her A&P in the United States. In 2005 she contacted Stewart, and again they discussed employment opportunity with his company. After meeting for a personal interview in Ashdod, Israel she was quickly hired by SWAT as a technical engineer. After two years of joint legal processes, Metodi made the journey alone to the United States on a work visa to start working with SWAT at its headquarters in Dallas, TX. Once again Metodi found herself faced with many challenges ahead, and she was once again starting over as an entry level technician/engineer with a new company, SWAT, in a new country very far from home. “I was only fl uent in technical English,” Metodi shares. “I could talk as an engineer all day, but going to the store to buy groceries was a new challenge.” Also challenging was being a foreign woman alone in a predominately male industrial environment based in Dallas.
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