Where have all the good aircraft technicians gone?
FAA standards for maintenance have generally not changed much in the last 30 years, while the avionics used on aircraft today have changed greatly. Being in the field over the last decade, and personally having experience working on aircraft that are now 60+ years old to present day aircraft that were just rolled off the production floor, has shown me just how far aircraft avionics and electronics have come. More importantly, it has given me insight to help predict how things will change over the next 5,10,20+ years.
Avionics is the area in aviation that will see the most growth in the foreseeable future. People (and by association aircraft owners) will always want the latest and greatest in terms of technology. Technology around the world will no doubt continue to improve, and the need to integrate that technology into aircraft will no doubt be in high demand. This is a trend that shows no signs in slowing down. In fact, in my opinion, we are seeing an “electrical revolution” of sorts.
Picture this. A passenger is flying comfortably along at 30 thousand feet up. He adjusts his seat electrically, and turns on his LED reading light so he can see where his in-seat power outlet is, so that he can plug his personal device in to charge while he streams the latest episode of his favorite Netflix show using the Wi-Fi that is installed in the plane. I just named 4 modifications we do, and we haven’t even left the seat yet. This is only the tip of the iceberg.
But as we all know, these things don’t just magically appear in aircraft, and its (usually) not exactly something you can just slap in. This brings us to the importance of having a skilled team of technician who are trained and experienced in installing these systems. FAA standards for maintenance have generally not changed much in the last 30 years, while the avionics used on aircraft today have changed greatly. Being in the field over the last decade, and personally having experience working on aircraft that are now 60+ years old to present day aircraft that were just rolled off the production floor, has shown me just how far aircraft avionics and electronics have come. More importantly, it has given me insight to help predict how things will change over the next 5,10,20+ years.
But as we all know, these things don’t just magically appear in aircraft, and its (usually) not exactly something you can just slap in. This brings us to the importance of having a skilled team of technician who are trained and experienced in installing these systems. You wouldn’t trust a pilot who hasn’t been trained properly or doesn’t have the skills necessary to actually fly the aircraft, right? So why trust technicians who haven’t been trained to possess the actual skills necessary to install and repair them?
Its been THIRTY years since the F.A.A. changed their standards and training. It is common knowledge around the industry that you don’t actually start to learn the actual skills that you need to be a successful technician until you are out of school and on the job. What is the purpose of that education then, other than a slip of paper saying that you are qualified to work on aircraft, if it doesn’t give you the skills and tools you need to be successful in the field?
We have been working vigorously on a program that will change that, and were working towards having that program implemented into aviation/avionics schools in the very near future. We look forward to helping the technicians of tomorrow become better prepared so they are able to succeed directly out of school in todays ever changing and growing field.
While the need for this already exists, in the next coming years, a very large percentage of aviation maintenance technicians will be retiring, with no real answer for who will replace them. A workforce labor crisis is imminent. Its not a matter of if, but when. We must work towards a solution today so we are better prepared for tomorrow. Tomorrow is right around the corner.
Will you be prepared?
-Colin