For certain holidays, traditional heart-warming, inspirational movies immediately come to mind. They remind us what the holiday is all about.
May 24 is National Aviation Maintenance Technician Day.
For AMT Day, that movie is "The Mechanician: A Brief History of Charles E. Taylor" by the Mechanical Dragons.
If you haven't seen this 2020 documentary written and directed by Joshua Lang, you need to see it. If you have seen it, watch it again.
Listen to the only known recording of Charles Taylor.
Learn about this Indiana hog farmer who became the first airplane mechanic.
May 24, 1868, was his birthday. That's why Congress declared May 24 National AMT Day.
Today we honor Charles Taylor and the AMTs who followed in his footsteps and those who recognized the importance of this recognition.
Here is an excerpt of the bill introduced in the House in 2007:
The safety of the flying public is ensured and the integrity of the aircraft airworthiness is personally guaranteed by individuals who comprise the professional aviation maintenance technician workforce;
The professional aviation maintenance technician is a key member of the United States military in protecting America through a strong armed forces aviation infrastructure;
The duties of aviation maintenance technicians are critical to United States homeland security and an integral component of the Nation's aerospace industry;
The professional aviation maintenance technician provides the strong infrastructure on which public confidence in our airborne transportation safety and military aviation strength is ensured;
The professional philosophy of the certificated aviation maintenance technician is embodied in the Aviation Mechanic's Creed:
UPON MY HONOR I swear that I shall hold in sacred trust the rights and privileges conferred upon me as a certified mechanic. Knowing full well that the safety and lives of others are dependent upon my skill and judgment, I shall never knowingly subject others to risks which I would not be willing to assume for myself, or for those dear to me.
IN DISCHARGING this trust, I pledge myself never to undertake work or approve work which I feel to be beyond the limits of my knowledge nor shall I allow any non-certified superior to persuade me to approve aircraft or equipment as airworthy against my better judgment, nor shall I permit my judgment to be influenced by money or other personal gain, nor shall I pass as airworthy aircraft or equipment about which I am in doubt either as a result of direct inspection or uncertainty regarding the ability of others who have worked on it to accomplish their work satisfactorily.
I REALIZE the grave responsibility which is mine as a certified airman, to exercise my judgment on the airworthiness of aircraft or equipment. I, therefore, pledge my unyielding adherence to these precepts for the advancement of aviation and for the dignity of my vocation.
