Aircraft maintenance skills contest showcases top techs

AMTSociety, an affinity group comprised of aircraft maintenance professionals, announced the winners of its first annual AMTSociety Maintenance Skills Competition held during the Aircraft Maintenance Summit at Aviation Industry Expo in March.

The AMTSociety Maintenance Skills Competition gives aircraft maintenance technicians, both licensed and student A&P mechanics, and U.S. military personnel involved in the aircraft maintenance field, the opportunity to test their combined and individual abilities against their peers. The competition featured both team and individual events.

A total of nine teams entered the first competition, which included 11 events. Taking first place was Continental Airlines. The Continental team included Rene Hansen, Brian Hall, Frank Dudek, Nagy Mouhanna and coach Russell Petersen. Second place was won by Aviation Institute of Maintenance (AIM) Northwest Region. The Aviation Institute of Maintenance entered four separate teams. The AIM NW team included Paulina Gregory, Eric Johanson, Don Nugent, Stephen Ritter and coach Glori Berkel. Third place was awarded to American Airlines; the team was organized by Dave Hayden and included Phil Firmano, James Labrecque, Robinson Torres and Joseph Haczela.

The individual program featured three events – hardware identification, safety wiring and a written test on aviation’s first aircraft mechanic, Charles E. Taylor. The winner was Steven Orville from the Redstone College campus in Los Angeles.

Other teams participating in the AMTSociety Maintenance Skills Competition included:

• American Eagle: Hirmiz Mikhael, Shad Dell, Carlos Rivera, David Quiroga and organizer Jose Galarza

• AMTSociety’s Tulsa Chapter: Zack Philips, Sydney Pittsinger, Zachary Van Ness, Dustin Wise and coach Dennis Hayes

• Redstone College: Manuel Moralas, Ernesto Contreras, Jesus Murillo, Paul Cselly and coach Bob Drake

• AIM Atlanta: Lawrence Howell, Steven Morphew, William Nickelson and Michael Ferenbaugh

• AIM Dallas: Joshua Smith, Paulo R. Salazar III, Mike Cassard, Lyndol Erwin and coach John Brecher

• AIM Southwest Region: Alexis Martinez, Jessie Hall, Ryan Donk, Clint Eyke and coach Glori Berkel

The team events included windshield inspection and drilling, sponsored by Perkins Aircraft Windows; hardware identification, sponsored by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University; safety wiring, sponsored by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University; avionics/electrical, sponsored by Spirit Avionics; piston engine troubleshooting, sponsored by Superior Air Parts; Gulfstream IV main wheel/brake removal and installation, sponsored by Alberth Aviation; APU combuster assembly inspection and fiberscope, sponsored by Dallas Airmotive; Charles E. Taylor written test, sponsored by the Aircraft Maintenance Technicians Association; electrical troubleshooting, sponsored by Duncan Aviation; avionics troubleshooting, sponsored by CAE SimuFlite; and composite repair, sponsored by Tarrant County College.

Sponsors and judges for the events were:

• Windshield: Perkins Aircraft Windows with Brendan McMahon, Stella Rodrigues and Austin Perkins as judges

• Safety Wiring: Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University with Joe Hawkins, AMTSociety director, judging for the team competition and Curtis Johnston from ERAU judging the individual competition

• Hardware: Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University with Max Henderson judging the team competition and Gary Goodpaster, AMTSociety director, judging the individual competition

• Avionics/Electrical: Spirit Avionics with Rick Ochs and Justin Hahn as judges

• Piston Engine: Bill Peterson, Superior Air Parts, and Bill Blackwood as judge

• Gulfstream IV: Alberth Aviation with Rudy Alberth and Peter Zeeb, AMTSociety board chairman, as judges

• APU: Dallas Airmotive with Jeff Clarke as judge

• Charles E. Taylor written test: AMTA with Aaron Klippel judging the team competition and Brian D. Richardson, director of Archaeology, Colorado Aviation Historical Society judging the individual competition

• Electrical Troubleshooting: Duncan Aviation with Sean Davenport as judge

• Avionics Troubleshooting: CAE SimuFlite with Jim Cameron as judge

• Composite Panel Inspection: Tarrant County College with Jason Ramos as judge

Plaques and Snap-on Tools were awarded to the winners. The funds raised from the event go to the Northrop-Rice Foundation for the AMTScholarship Awards: the Charles E. Taylor Scholarship for $1,500 and the William F. O’Brien Scholarship for $1,000. To learn more about AMT magazine and the AMTSociety, log onto AMTonline.com.

AMTSociety was formed in 2005 by AMT magazine as an affinity group to provide online certification testing and renewal programs and provide benefits and industry resources to its 3,000 members.