AEROSPACE MAINTENANCE COMPETITION
bring in new technology, something they haven’t seen before,” Goglia says. One of the new events this year deals with human
factors, which is something all technicians face every day, MacTiernan says. Many of the newer events in the past few years involved using tools and equipment, like the dentCHECK inspection tool. Competitors will use this tool to measure dent damages on an aircraft panel. This tool maps out electronically the depth and width of a potential dent to determine if any repairs are needed. “Who wants to come back to the same thing year after
year? We don’t want that for the teams,” MacTiernan says. “We want people to come in and be on their toes. We’re showing the public and the industry that yet again, we as techs are staying lock-step with each technological advance.”
VYING FOR THE TOP PRIZE At the conclusion of the two-day competition, the team earning the overall best score takes home the grand prize in aviation maintenance – the William F. “Bill” O’Brien Award for Excellence in Aircraft Maintenance. Presented by Snap-on, the coveted award signifi es the highest standard of excellence in aviation maintenance. The O’Brien Award is a traveling trophy that debuted at the 2013 competition. The winning team receives the honor of displaying the 5-foot tall trophy in their facility for a year. In addition to the trophy, Snap-on is awarding more than $75,000 in tools and equipment as prizes to the top fi nishers in the competition. Last year, the fi ve- member team from United Airlines Team Cleveland repeated as champions, keeping the O’Brien Award trophy on display at the company’s facility at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport for a third straight year. “Snap-on is again pleased to be the presenting sponsor
of the Aerospace Maintenance Competition,” says Tom Murray, director of Business Development, Snap-on Industrial. “Every year we’re always impressed by the skill, dedication and fun that all the contestants have. We’ve watched the competition grow from 20 teams to 90, and with it more than 500 competitors. We wish them all the very best of luck.” “Snap-on has the reputation of being the elite, top- of-the-line brand, and to be a top-of-the-line tool costs money. So, to have an opportunity to win Snap-on tools is a huge draw for coming to the AMC,” Goglia says. In addition to Snap-on, other major sponsors include:
AAR, Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association, American Airlines, Aviation Technician Education Council, Axis Communications, FedEx, JetBlue, PPG Aerospace, Pratt & Whitney, Professional Aviation Maintenance Association, Qatar Airways, Teamsters Airline Division, The Aviation Mechanics Coalition and United Technical Operations.
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GROOMING THE NEXT GENERATION Mentorship and camaraderie have become central focuses of recent AMCs, and those trends look to continue in Dallas and beyond. Throughout the competition, many of the professional teams take a school under their wing to give them pointers on not only how to do specifi c events quicker, but share knowledge and insight on what it takes to be a technician as they prepare to enter the career fi eld. For some teams the mentoring begins long before the competition starts. American Tech Ops in Tulsa regularly work side-by-side with students from TulsaTech to practice for the AMC. The same goes with Alaska Airlines and South Seattle College, as well as Vaughn College teaming up with Aviation High School in Long Island, N.Y. Additionally, many of the professional teams, including American Airlines, will also be covering the travel costs for students to fl y to Dallas, which certainly aides in schools being able to send teams to the AMC. “A large part of the competition is aimed at helping students receive mentoring and getting them introduced into the business,” Goglia says. “We didn’t have this when I came in years ago. That’s why to have it happen right in front of my eyes make you feel good.”
WATCH IT LIVE ONLINE For the third consecutive year, the AMC will be livestreamed to a global audience. AireXpert, a company that’s developed platforms to view, monitor and communicate maintenance activities in real time, is coordinating the AMC live stream at
www.mroamc.live. Andy Hakes, founder of AireXpert, says the livestream
serves as an important vehicle for helping place aviation maintenance on the radar of young people. “Far too many people have no idea that aviation maintenance is even a viable possibility for them. It’s up to us to reach them and to plant the seed of imagination,” he says. “Broadcasting the events in real-time is an opportunity to create awareness and highlight the incredible potential for an exciting and rewarding career path.”
Steve Staedler is a senior account executive at LePoidevin Marketing, a Brookfi eld, Wisconsin-based business-to-business marketing fi rm that specializes in the tooling and aerospace industries. Steve has been covering aeronautical maintenance for more than 10 years; is a former newspaper reporter and retired master sergeant from the U.S. Air Force Reserve, where he worked maintenance and public aff airs. He can be reached at
steve@lepoidevinmarketing.com; 262-754-9550; www.
lepoidevinmarketing.com.
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