This year's 2003 FAA AMT Awards Program contest has less than six months to run so you'd better get a move on if you want to win some great prizes. Since 1993, one of the quiet successes enjoyed by the FAA safety program each year is the overwhelming acceptance of the Aviation Maintenance Technician (AMT) Awards Program by both the air carrier and the general aviation maintenance community.
More than 24,000 AMT awards were issued in 2002, compared to 446 awards that were first issued in 1992. Besides receiving the award, employers also like the recognition that being a participant in the awards program earns them. Last year, in addition to hundreds of Bronze, Silver, Gold, Ruby, and Diamond employer certificates of excellence, the FAA issued 38 plaques to employers that earned a 100 percent participation in the AMT program.
One of the main reasons for the success of the AMT program is an outstanding marketing effort called the FAA AMT Awards Program Contest. The contest committee, which is made up of industry volunteers, awards industry-donated prizes to mechanics and technicians who participate in the AMT Awards Program.
Let me give you a short infomercial if you are not familiar with the AMT Awards Program.
Your employer can also receive an award based on the percentage of eligible employees that earn an AMT award. For example, the company gets a Bronze Certificate of Excellence if 5 percent of the employees get an AMT award. It gets a Silver for 10 percent, a Gold for 15 percent, a Ruby for 20 percent, and a Diamond for 25 percent. If the employer trains 100 percent of his workforce under the AMT program, he is eligible for a 100 percent award plaque issued by the Aircraft Maintenance Division in FAA Headquarters.
More information can be found in Advisory Circular (AC) 65-25, Aviation Maintenance Technician Awards Program. The AC is on the FAA web site (http://www.faa.gov/avr/afs/ under information and advisories) or you can pick the AC up at your local FSDO.
Besides being recognized as a trained professional by the FAA, one of the advantages of getting FAA's AMT award is that you are automatically put in the running for 26 prizes offered by the 2003 FAA AMT Awards Contest. The awards contest is run by an industry committee, not the FAA, and all prizes are donated by industry and corporate organizations.
The 2003 contest runs from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2003, and the drawing will be held in April 2004. The prizes for this year's contest are as follows:
The prizes!
Delta Airlines: the grand prize winner will receive a four-night vacation to any Delta domestic U.S. city in the 48 contiguous states, air transportation to that city, and $300 spending money.
Aerolearn.com: the winner will receive a desktop computer with 128 MB ram, 20 GB hard drive, and a 17-inch monitor.
Aircraft Electronics Association: the winner will receive a round trip coach airfare to and from the AEA 2004 convention site, lodging at the AEA convention hotel for three nights, and full registration for the convention.
Aircraft Maintenance Technology Magazine: the winner will receive $500.
Aircraft Technical Publishers: the winner will receive an ATP maintenance director e*log maintenance planning and software package, a one-year subscription to the ATP maintenance schedule of the winner's choice, and a one-year subscription to ATP's U.S. Aviation regulatory library on CD-ROM.
Alaska Airlines: the winner receives two first-class round trip tickets to any destination that Alaska flies.
Association for Women in Aviation Maintenance: the winner will receive a one-year membership in AWAM.
Avantext: the winner will receive one free subscription to the Avantext airworthiness directive small aircraft program, with daily Internet updates.
Aviation Maintenance Magazine: the winner will receive a one-quarter (1/4) page four-color advertisement in one issue of the Aviation Maintenance magazine.
Baker's School of Aeronautics: the winner will receive a free five-day IA course at the Baker's School of Aeronautics located in Nashville, Tennessee, which includes the Baker IA kit; the FAA's testing fee; a five-night stay at the Wilson Inn; transportation to/from the school, Wilson Inn, and the airport; and $400 in cash.
Bombardier Aerospace (Tucson): the winner will receive a new Learjet leather jacket.
CAE SimuFlite: the winner will receive a maintenance training course of his/her choice at the Dallas Fort Worth Training Center.
Continental Airlines: the winner will receive two round trip tickets to travel to any Continental city in the domestic United States.
Continuum Applied Technology: the winner will receive a full-feature, handheld GPS navigation device.
Electronic International Inc.: The winner will receive a free workshop attendance voucher for Electronic International's 12th Annual Shot Peening and Blast Cleaning Workshop in 2004.
FlightSafety International: the winner will receive one online attendance at FlightSafety International's Principles of Troubleshooting course.
Frontier Airlines: the winner will receive two round trip tickets to any destination that Frontier flies.
Horizon Air: the winner will receive Horizon Air embroidered gear, sweat shirt, and hat; stainless laser-painted coffee mug; custom pen set; special collector series of the CRJ-700 model; and special edition aircraft type card set.
Klein Tools: the winner will receive a tool bag and tools valued at $150.
Northrop Rice Aviation Institute of Technology: the winner receives a $3,000 scholarship to be used toward receiving a degree from Northrop Rice. The courses can be taken over the Internet.
Professional Aviation Maintenance Association: the winner will receive a one-year membership in PAMA, and a PAMA logo polo shirt and baseball hat.
Superior Air Parts: the winner will receive a Hawkeye borescope kit and a Fluke auto ranging digital multimeter.
Tdata: the winner will receive a one-year paid subscription to Tdata's IA approach library on CD-ROM with biweekly updates.
Timco: the winner will receive a Snap-on gift certificate in the amount of $2,000.
U.S. Airways: the winner will receive two positive-space round trip domestic tickets to any destination that U.S. Airways flies.
Women in Aviation International: the winner will receive a complimentary registration to Women in Aviation International's annual March conference and a one-year membership in Women in Aviation International.
There you have it. Not a bad group of prizes - and all you have to do is get some training. What are your chances of winning? Well, a heck of a lot better than your chances are at taking home some money from your state or national lotteries. And besides, what other lottery gives you a lapel pin and a training certificate just for participating?
