Contest 2000: FAA AMT awards program

Start your engines
7th Prize: The winner and three guests will receive tickets to the Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR Winston-Cup Race at Lowes Motor Speedway near Charlotte, NC, in May 2001, and one night hotel accommodations. Bring earplugs for everybody.

8th Prize: The winner will receive a maintenance training course of his or her choice, sponsored by SimuFlite International Inc. Pick from initial or recurrent training courses on King Air 200, Cessna Citation, Hawker, Lear, Falcon, or one of the other courses conducted at their Dallas/Fort Worth Training Facility. This is brain candy for the technical mind.

9th Prize: The winner will receive a two-day trip to New York sponsored by CAMP Systems International. This prize includes round-trip airfare for two and hotel accommodations for two nights in the Big Apple, a CAMP Squall Jacket from Lands End, and a CAMP sports cap. Take your significant other to a Broadway show.

10th Prize: Aircraft Technical Publishers Computer Software, sponsored by ATP. The winner will receive an ATP Maintenance Director™ E*Log maintenance planning and tracking software package, a one-year subscription to ATP Maintenance Schedule of the winner's choice, and a one-year subscription to ATP's U.S. Aviation Regulatory Library on CD-ROM.

11th Prize: A lucky winner receives a five-day Inspection Authorization Training Course, sponsored by Baker's School of Aeronautics. The winner will attend a five-day IA course in Nashville, TN, receive a Baker's Inspection Authorization Kit, free IA testing, hotel accommodations for five days, transportation, and $300 for expenses. Learn how to become the big kahuna of aviation maintenance.

12th Prize: The winner and a guest will receive round-trip airfare aboard Frontier Airlines to any city Frontier flies to, sponsored by Frontier Airlines.

13th Prize: The winner will receive a set of brand new Michelin tires for their car, sponsored by Michelin. For most mechanics, I know, these tires would double the net worth of their "airport" car.

14th Prize: The winner will receive free registration for the PAMA 2001 convention in Long Beach, CA, plus hotel accommodations for three nights. Come hobnob with the movers and shakers in aircraft maintenance.

15th Prize: The winner will receive a free, five-year PAMA membership and the other prizewinners will receive a one-year PAMA membership. This is a great organization that has only one agenda — professionalism.

16th Prize: Five winners will receive a one-year membership in the Association for Women in Aviation Maintenance (AWAM) and an additional winner will receive a limited edition of a lithograph titled "She Strives." Sponsored by AWAM.

17th Prize: The winner will receive a free registration for the year 2001 International Women in Aviation Conference and a conference T-shirt, sponsored by Women in Aviation, International.

18th Prize: The winner will receive a Deluxe Travel Bag sponsored by Svaty and Associates.

Throwing your hat into the ring
Now to enter the contest, you must first successfully participate in the FAA Aviation Maintenance Technician Awards program. I heard that! Don't complain or whine! I told you right off that the contest's purpose is to serve as an incentive for the Awards program! Let's be adult about this!

Now, where was I? Okay, now I remember. If you earn a Bronze, Silver, Gold, Ruby, or Diamond AMT award, you are automatically eligible for the contest prizes. When you fill out an application for the FAA AMT award, the application also doubles as the contest's application. Turn in the application and proof of training to the FAA's Safety Program manager at the local FSDO. The inspector, after processing and sending you the AMT pin/award, then sends the application to the FAA/NASCAR contest headquarters in Atlanta. There, the applications are dumped into a big drum from which the contest winners' names are picked.

Time is on your side
Oh, by the way, the contest honors only AMT awards earned during the period from Oct. 1, 1999, to Dec. 31, 2000. There are three extra months in this contest year because we changed the calendar from government Fiscal Year to the regular calendar year in the latest revision of AC 65-25B Aviation Maintenance Technician Awards Program. We are also showing our kinder and gentler side by extending the deadline for submitting applications to Feb. 28, 2001.