Mohammad Usaid Khalid was introduced to aviation by his dad, an aircraft engineer. "He would always tell me how the aircraft works and that motivated me to work on aircraft myself. Having an aviation background helped me a lot."
Khalid was lucky to have great mentors and teachers who always helped him achieve his goals. They include Shawn D. Wyatt (teacher), Dave Boris (CRT mechanic at Bombardier), Katie Mosher (trained him for maintenance control position) and his dad.
He received his training in Pakistan. He started as a technician at Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) and worked his way up to become an engineer through on-the-job training. At PIA he was the youngest EASA SARI qualified engineer. He has his A&P and also an EASA license which qualifies him to work on aircraft in European countries. He also worked as a mechanic for Mesa Airlines. Currently he is maintenance operation controller with Endeavor Airlines. Duties include: ensuring proper use of the MEL (Minimum Equipment List) by authorizing MEL deferrals and managing these items for timely closure; coordinating with the Operations Control Center the flow of aircraft scheduled to maintenance bases and modifies the daily maintenance schedule in response to unscheduled maintenance events; and making decisions concerning the course of action required to ensure safe, airworthy aircraft in accordance with regulatory requirements.
Nominated by Keith Norton, Maintenance Controller, Endeavor Air: "Attaining a maintenance controller position at such a young age is one example of Usaid’s exceptional abilities. I believe he is the youngest maintenance controller at our company and yet he is one of the most skilled and respected. He is highly intelligent, highly motivated, safety conscious, very helpful to his co-workers, personable, calm under pressure, and diligent in his work. On a personal note, I am twice Usaid’s age. We both started with the company last summer and I came with no experience on Bombardier aircraft. Over time, Usaid has become my most trusted mentor. He has helped me develop as a controller more quickly than I thought possible. He is always available for questions, pro-actively offers assistance when appropriate, and is constantly sharing his tribal knowledge. He does all of this in the most humble and respectful way. Being an American of Pakistani heritage isn’t always easy for Usaid. His English is accented but very easy to understand. He sets an example of professionalism that far exceeds our industry norms."
Nominated by Kathryn Mosher, Maintenance Control, Endeavor Air; "Usaid Khalid was selected as maintenance controller with Endeavor Air due to his intellect and professionalism. Usaid's degree in engineering and technology has given him a good foundation in troubleshooting new generation aircraft. Usaid has a solid background as a programmer and application developer. Usaid's career in aviation started with Pakistan Airlines as an engineer where the challenges of troubleshooting and repair of aircraft piqued his interest. As his mentor and trainer, I can attest to his ability to quickly pick up the nuances of maintenance controller position. This is a challenging position even for someone with years of experience. Usaid's ability to work with people from diverse cultures and experiences has enabled him to relate to the variety of people entailed in this position. Clear, concise communication between the controller, crews, dispatch and the operations center are required to ensure irregularities are clearly understood, deferral and repairs are properly initiated then completed and required records and reports are accurately submitted Usaid is able to make the accurate and timely decisions and take the necessary course of action required to maintain the integrity of scheduled operations without jeopardizing aircraft safety or airworthiness in accordance with the appropriate regulations and manuals. Usaid continues to improve himself taking additional training courses with the company and college classes on his own time."
His goal is to become a maintenance controller of a major airline and work up to a manager of a maintenance operation controller or director of maintenance.
