Age: 29
Years in Aviation: 9
Chris Grinnell began his aviation career by attending Tulsa Tech in Oklahoma where he acquired his FAA A&P certificate. Grinnell was nominated by David Grinnell with Piaggio Aerospace. David says of Chris, “His standards in aviation safety are maintained to the highest level of skills and knowledge; his willingness to go the extra mile is very impressive in order to keep our flying public safe.” After graduating from A&P school Grinnell worked for West Star Aviation, Embraer Executive Jets, and RBR Maintenance.
The atmosphere of the aviation industry and the ability to work anywhere in the world drew him to the profession.
He has gotten additional training from Williams Intl. on its Fj44 turbine engine; CAE and FlightSafety International on the Embraer Phenom 300; Embraer on the Phenom 100, 300, legacy 600, and lineage 1000; FlightSafety International on the Pratt & Whitney Canada 617F-e and 535F-e; and Garmin on Garmin G3000 avionics.
As for mentors, Grinnell says it includes “all the individuals who have taught me from day one to now.”
His interest in succeeding as an aircraft maintenance professional is confirmed by his decision to start his own aircraft maintenance company in 2014. He now has three additional technicians working for him. His company performs maintenance on Embraer Phenom, Cessna Citations, and a few other business aircraft types. Grinnell says, “I was nervous about starting my own company and thought about the idea for over a year. It took both courage and capital.”
As for his next step Grinnell says he wants to pursue getting an FAA Repair Station Certificate for his young company and to provide his customers with the highest level of support and expertise.
