Last month we were in Orlando, FL, attending the Aviation Industry Expo trade show. There was a lot to see and do for aircraft maintenance professionals there. An event I always enjoy at the show is the PAMA Olympics.
This year's Olympics saw four teams competing for the championship trophy. There were two returning teams — Midcoast Aviation and Southwest Airlines. There were also two new teams, both of them Part 147 schools, from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and the Aviation Institute of Maintenance.
The spirit of competition was definitely evident in the Olympics arena. All the teams exhibited good sportsmanship while competing to be the best of the best. You could sense the camaraderie in the arena.
In the final round of the competition, it was the two veteran teams from Midcoast and Southwest that battled for the championship trophy. The team from Midcoast was attempting to win its fourth consecutive championship. Southwest wanted to break Midcoast's winning streak and take the championship trophy back to Dallas.
In the end, the team from Southwest Airlines took the gold and won the championship. But it wouldn't be fair to say they were the winners. In my opinion, all of the teams that participated in the PAMA Olympics were winners. Their display of aircraft maintenance knowledge and their demeanor both on and off the arena floor showed all of us what it means to be aircraft maintenance professionals. Congratulations to all of the teams!
In case you haven't been to AMTonline.com lately, I would encourage you to go there to view AMT's video coverage of Aviation Industry Expo. It was a new venture for AMT, and it ended up being a pretty fun (and challenging) experience.
I guess I have to get used to being in front of the camera, as AMT is planning on doing more video coverage in the future. Be sure to visit AMTonline.com regularly to see more video highlights of trade shows and industry events throughout the year.
Thanks for reading (and viewing)!
