Aircraft Maintenance Technology

APR 2013

The aircraft maintenance professional's source for technological advancements, maintenance alerts, news, articles, events, and careers

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Photo provided by Empire Aerospace. COVER STORY industry, before the Congress, DOT, the FAA, and other federal agencies. To take that statement to another level, our primary mission is to serve as our members' eyes, ears and voice in Washington. Most of our member airlines don't have full time government affairs people here in Washington so we represent them to the decision makers. As you know, virtually every decision made about our industry gets made here in Washington. AMT: What is the principle value that RAA provides for member airlines? Cohen: The RAA has been active since the birth of the regional airline industry. From 1977-78 it was called the Commuter Airlines Association and there were about 230 regional airlines flying about 11 million passengers a year. Today our 28 member airlines operate about one half of the scheduled flights in the United States and last year they flew about 160 million passengers. RAA has been the one constant in all of the growth and change, working to ensure that members have the seat at the table that we enjoy today. RAA has been there every step of the way in that 35-year journey, helping to guide and create a climate so that our industry could grow and operate as safely and efficiently as it does today. issues. This is going to be one of our primary focuses in 2013 and at our upcoming convention in Montreal. I think that pilot supply always grabs the headlines, and over the past few years the pilot issue has received all the attention and is a real problem that will hit sometime in the near future. However, at every turn RAA has also been quoted nationwide stating that the problem of an adequate supply of trained maintenance personnel is here today. While the training problems on the maintenance side With nearly 50 may not be as high percent of the AMT: Last July in as on the pilot side, a Wichita, Kansas the time and experination's commercial Aero Club meeting, ence requirements airline schedule you were quoted for mechanics are operated by regional by Daniel McCoy, substantial. A facreporter for the tor in our favor is airlines, Roger Cohen Wichita Business the fact that jobs in provides his view Journal, as saying: maintenance are on industry trends, "There is one issue literally beginning that keeps me up to be filled now, and regulators, and at night and it's an for a young person globalization. issue that anybody it is not like making concerned about an investment that the future of aviawill pay off sometion needs to be aware of. The supply where down the road. The payoff is of pilots is going to be a major, major today. issue for us. The pilot shortage is comI also think that one of the attracing and it's going to have a real-world tions to this industry is that those impact. According to a recent forecast maintenance skill sets provide the from Boeing, the world will need nearly holder with some degree of flexibil500,000 new airline pilots during the ity, more so in the maintenance area next 20 years." Some say that mainthan for the pilots. The maintenance tenance operations are facing a simemployees don't face nearly some ilar problem. How is the RAA or of the institutional and built-in barspecific member airlines addressing riers to employment that the pilots the issue of our aging maintenance do. An airline mechanic's skills can work force? transfer to dozens, if not to hunCohen: There is a renewed recdreds, of career paths. Maintenance ognition within our membership, is an attractive career path, and not only our airline members but I often lament to my son that he our associate members also, that should get an A&P.; our maintenance human resources Back to the staffing problem, one issues are a challenge for the airline solution is for airlines to be partnerindustry and the regional sector in ing with educational institutions, like particular. RAA has re-doubled our high schools with vocational educaeffort to reinvigorate our members tion and community colleges with to address these human resources aviation programs. The government www.AMTSociety.org • www.AviationPros.com • Aircraft Maintenance Technology April 2013 23

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