Waypoints

Ask a pilot what it takes to safely fly an airplane, and he’ll probably square up his shoulders and smugly reply: "A competent pilot." True, but in reality, there’s a whole infrastructure behind the scenes that allows the pilot to safely fly the aircraft from point A to point B. One of the most often overlooked portions of the aviation infrastructure is the A&P mechanic, or, using today’s preferred parlance, the aviation maintenance technician. Without the help of knowledgeable maintenance techs, we’d all be hangar-bound instead of out flying and collecting more fodder for the next session of hangar tales.

A recent conversation reminded me that the nonflying public understands even less about how an aircraft is maintained than they do about how it flies. An acquaintance asked me if I had been flying lately. I said yes, that I had just returned from a business trip to Connecticut, but that the airplane was currently in the shop for a couple of routine repairs. My friend looked at me quizzically and asked, "Well, where do you get it fixed? Do you take it to a garage?" She was quite embarrassed by her question when I reminded her that airplanes are generally only one of two places—either in the air or at an airport. She was surprised to learn that we have "garages" that fix airplanes at airports. "I guess I never thought about it before," she commented.

I wonder what the boys at Jiffy Lube would say if I taxied up in the Bonanza for an oil change. Would the guarantee to get me in and out in 30 minutes apply? More importantly, would it cost $14.95?

A couple of weeks later, my barber was busy snipping away— Edward Scissorhands-like—around my ears. He was making proclamations about the weather and rattling on about the latest gossip from around town. It always makes me nervous when they chat so casually while bearing sharp objects close to my head. "Hey, you work at the airport. What do you know about that airplane mechanic course they offer out there? My oldest son thinks he might be interested in it."

I started to answer just as the electric clippers came out, so I had to wait for the buzzing to stop to tell him about the well-regarded aviation maintenance technician program at the local community college. "It’s a good time to be looking into it," I told him as he whisked the hair off the back of my neck with one of those little round brushes. "There’s a shortage of mechanics right now, and the job market is good." I tipped him a buck because I left with all of the same body parts I entered with. I couldn’t help wondering, though, if I shouldn’t get a tip for perhaps sending his son into what can be a lucrative job these days.

Twenty percent of auto mechanics make more than $40,000 annually, but 70 percent of aviation techs earn more than that amount, according to Make It Fly, an aviation and aerospace industry group that is working to increase the number of A&Ps.

Make It Fly was formed early last year by companies and organizations throughout the industry that are alarmed by the decreasing number of students entering aviation maintenance training—at a time when the industry is growing and the number of retirements is peaking. A booming national economy and more people traveling on the airlines have exacerbated the problem. To meet the demands, the airlines have added more flights and equipment. Air transport alone has grown by 6.4 percent in the past decade. The airlines need roughly two technicians for every pilot. Meanwhile, the sale of light aircraft and business jets is at the highest level in 20 years. The national unemployment rate is at a low 4 percent. Those in the skilled trades are enjoying an unemployment rate of only 2 percent. And this is at a time when the pool of 20- to 24-year-olds is smaller than in decades.

The FAA reports that the number of A&Ps entering the work force each year has declined from a high of approximately 24,000 in 1991 to just 10,000 in 1997. Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Labor forecasts that by 2006, the United States will need 155,000 A&Ps, a 13-percent increase from the 137,000 currently employed in the field. With retirements, A&Ps leaving the field to work in other industries, and enrollments in A&P courses declining, the aerospace industry may need some 50,000 new students each year to fill the void. Everyone from Boeing to Continental Airlines to Cessna to your local FBO is wondering where all of those fresh faces will come from.

Once organized, the Make It Fly Foundation laid out a plan to help determine that. Among the group’s first tasks was to draft a mission statement: "To successfully promote aviation as a valued career path and to encourage the advancement and positive development of future generations of aviation technicians."

With an interim board of directors in place, a mission statement, and some brochures in hand, the group has moved into phase two of its plan. The goal is to share the technician career message with youth and young adults who are candidates to become the next generation of A&Ps. At the same time, the group is creating an awareness campaign aimed at recruiting adults from parallel fields, such as the automotive and computer industries, into aviation.

Don’t think of likely candidates as only those who like to spin wrenches. Many aviation technicians today must possess sophisticated computer skills to diagnose complex aircraft and avionics systems. In shops that deal with business jets and airliners, an A&P is as likely to be sitting at a keyboard ferreting out a glitch in a line replaceable unit (LRU) as he or she is to be repacking wheel bearings. Avionics and aviation technicians must wrestle with such complex equipment as FADEC, brake by wire, EGPWS, TCAS, and integrated avionics and flight control systems.

Even on lighter aircraft, the systems are becoming more complex. Today’s panels, with IFR GPSs, moving maps, digital autopilots, and the beginnings of electronic ignition, are a far cry from those in place just a few years ago. At the same time, aging airframes demand ever-closer scrutiny and inspection, often using sophisticated, noninvasive testing methods.

According to Make It Fly spokesman Ron Jackson, the foundation plans to tap into the latest communication technology to reach young people who might be interested in an aviation maintenance career. Noting that "kids today grew up with a mouse in their hands," Jackson says the heart of the campaign will be a slick Web site. On the site, users will be able to find a school in their area—or in an area where they’d like to be—that offers aviation maintenance training. The site will also serve as a clearinghouse for information about scholarships. In addition, the foundation plans to provide materials to high school and college guidance counselors in the form of brochures, CD-ROMs, and videos.

To make its outreach programs a success, the foundation needs to raise at least $250,000 by the end of March. If the fund-raising goal is met, the foundation plans to launch its outreach campaign in May by dubbing it "Make It Fly Month." During the month, the foundation hopes to encourage everyone associated with aviation to make a concerted effort to introduce young people to the inner workings of aviation maintenance. FBOs, airframe manufacturers, repair stations, airlines, avionics shops, flight schools, and corporate flight departments will be encouraged to open their doors to high school field trips. There, students will be able to see what it’s like to change a landing gear on a Gulfstream, hang a prop on a commuter airliner, or troubleshoot a faulty black box. "We know that if we can expose kids to the excitement that goes on every day at their local airport, they will make a choice to stick with aviation rather than moving into some other similar role in the automobile market," says Jackson.

But what does this mean to you and me as owners and pilots of light airplanes? One major airline recently reported that it will need to fill 1,500 maintenance slots this year. However, by 2001, that number will jump to 4,000 positions because of retirements and growth. Undoubtedly the airline pays its maintenance personnel more than your local FBO or flight school, so you can imagine how quickly technicians from the lower end of aviation will be sucked up to the majors—just as it happens with pilots. Flight instructors at the local flight schools are being snapped up by airlines hungry for pilots. The result will be a dearth of technicians at the FBOs and flight schools, which will mean higher costs for maintenance and longer waits. Already at some FBOs you must reserve a slot months in advance in order to get an annual inspection completed.

Surveys of AOPA members show us that one of your top concerns is the cost of aviation. Recognizing this, AOPA has contributed $25,000 to the Make It Fly effort. The foundation also accepts individual donations. Our goal is to make sure that general aviation enjoys a steady supply of aviation technicians to keep our fleet flying and to keep those "garages" at the airport staffed with talented A&Ps.

For more information on the Make It Fly campaign, visit the Web site ( www.makeitfly.com) or telephone 800/788-4707. E-mail the author at [email protected].