Aircraft Maintenance Technology

NOV-DEC 2013

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

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PUBLISHER'S NOTE Building the Talent Pipeline We need to share our knowledge and excitement, while looking for ways to help shape the maintenance technician of the future By Karen Berg Karen Berg, associate publisher of Aircraft Maintenance Technology, is a 27-year veteran in the aviation industry. She held leadership positions at Northwest Airlines before joining KLM Royal Dutch Airlines in the Netherlands. In recent years, she served as VP Sales North America for Air France Industries and KLM Engineering & Maintenance. 6 I recently had the opportunity to tour a While aviation and a job in our field might new aircraft maintenance school. The not be as sexy as it was in the old days, classrooms were stocked with the latest and the military continues to cut back on chairs, tables, and whiteboards, waiting aviation-related positions, it's up to us to for their new students. The library still build up the enthusiasm and excitement had some gaps on the in the kids of today. shelves, but it was off We need to share to a good start. our knowledge When we walked and excitement, back to the "hangar" while looking for where all the hands-on ways to help shape training takes place, the maintenance they had a small stock technician of the of engines, a couple future. of GA aircraft, and a Think about it helicopter, and other - one conversation miscellaneous training you share with stations (sheet metal, a young person welding, electronics, might sway them Karen Berg, Aircraft Maintenance Technology etc.). As much as they to consider a career magazine associate publisher; Joanne Leming, could to train their executive director AIM Las Vegas campus; and Ron in the maintenance students in an overfield. Can you help Donner, AMTSociety executive director. view of what it will be to create the next like, in the real world, working on aircraft. Charles Taylor or Richard Branson? Many of the training benches were made at We need to help these schools by getting the school and most of the other equipment them the tools they need to teach - are there was several decades old. some unused engines, aircraft, or helicopter What struck me most about the equipment parts where you work that could be donated is, very little of it was anything remotely like and benefit your local maintenance school? what these students would be expected to What about those aviation books on your work on in the real world, once they graduatshelves? Would some eager, young mind be ed. It is a real shame that many of our schools inspired by reading them? that are training our aviation future don't Remember the days when you first have access to the proper equipment and curbecame fascinated with things that fly, rent technology to train their students. starting school, training, and learning how I'm certain that all of us who read this everything worked? Let's do what we can publication are hooked on this aviation to pass that on to the next generation, to not business, living every day with the thrill of only refresh our personal excitement for the making something fly. business, but to also pass that spark on to But the problem is, none of us are getting the next generation to fire up that pipeline! any younger and the pipeline for our Karen replacements is dwindling to a fast drip. Karen.berg@AviationPros.com November/December 2013 Aircraft Maintenance Technology • www.AviationPros.com • www.AMTSociety.org

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