AMTSociety Roadshow in Seattle

Nov. 16, 2011
More than 60 people attended the all day event.

Last week I traveled to Seattle, Washington, where I attended the AMTSociety Inspection Authorization (IA) Renewal training event. Approximately 60 A&P/IA technicians were present coming from the usual array of aircraft maintenance segments including antique airplane restoration shops, helicopter operators, aircraft maintenance schools, corporate aircraft operators, and a few from the military, airlines and Boeing. A show of hands revealed most of us in attendance were well over the age of 50; few if any under the age of 40.

The next day while visiting the Boeing Commercial Aviation Services maintenance training group, senior manager Steve Pennington presented the Current Market Outlook Boeing’s long-term forecast of air traffic volumes and airplane demand. Perhaps some of you have already read the report released earlier this year. The report begins by saying, “As the world commercial fleet expands to more than 39,500 airplanes over the next 20 years, the world’s airlines will need to add 460,000 pilots and 650,000 maintenance technicians, both to fly and maintain the new airplanes and to replace current personnel who are due to retire during the period.” Granted, much of both the airline and the general aviation expansion are projected to occur at a greater rate in emerging areas of the world rather than the U.S. But this country still needs aircraft maintenance talent.

Recently a story appeared in a Wisconsin newspaper indicating that Blackhawk Technical College located in southern Wisconsin is considering dropping its long running aircraft maintenance training program in order to save money. I found this particularly disturbing because this was the school that I attended in the mid-1970’s. In the state of Minnesota where I currently live we have gone from three down to one aircraft maintenance school over the past 10 years.

I can’t help but view these as three vastly differing sign’s of the future; an aging workforce, closing of aircraft maintenance schools, and the projected growth in the industry. They all seemed to clash, and served as stark reminder of challenges in this industry.

Ron