Kyle Long, director of maintenance at Heritage Aviation, is a company leader and seasoned technician. His hands-on training includes the King Air B300/350 Initial Maintenance Course through GlobalJet Services, advanced engine rigging training with Wheels Up, and several aircraft familiarization programs.
Reflecting on the early stages of his career, Long says, “I would have to give credit to an old Director of Maintenance I had, TJ Padgett and Chief Inspector, Justin Pearson. They were instrumental in building my foundation, instilling in me small habits and perspectives that have been the cornerstone of who I am as a maintenance professional.”
His colleagues show immense gratitude for his dedication to mentorship and leadership, with Kathleen Fronhofer of Heritage Aviation noting, “Kyle Long’s leadership is a catalyst for transformation. Through his technical expertise, commitment to lifelong learning and servant leader approach, he is not only driving operational excellence at Heritage Aviation, but also developing the next generation of aviation professionals.”
Long notes that mentoring his team is one of his proudest accomplishments. He says, “We have a great team here, and their success and accomplishments are a great source of pride. I stand a little bit taller knowing that I represent such a quality team.”
Discussing his hopes for enhanced mentorship the maintenance industry, Long explains, “Aviation maintenance is such a rewarding career, and no small part of that is because of the mentoring and coaching available to technicians. There is so much to learn, and we can do something new every day. Technical expertise and troubleshooting skills are as much an art form as a technical procedure, and teaching the next generation is critical to industry success.”
Long continues, “Investing in technicians, leading with the person first, providing work-life balance and leveraging AI and other technologies are the first steps in attracting people to the aviation maintenance career field.”
To these new, learning technicians, Long says, “With the right amount of motivation, hard work and strong networking, you can go anywhere in the industry that you want to go. I had a professor tell me in A&P school to find an area of concentration in the industry and strive to be the expert in that focus. That advice has served me extremely well, and I’d encourage new A&Ps to do the same.”
