2016 AMT Next Gen Award: Benjamin Stevens

Benjamin Stevens is 35 years old and says his father started learning to fly when Ben was about 5 years old. He started hanging out at the airport reading aviation magazines. His dad then taught him to fly as a teenager, and he didn’t want to get away from aviation. He says, "being a pilot as a career didn’t suit me, so I went into maintenance and I never looked back."

His aviation employment history starts in the fall of 1996 at Brookville Airpark in Brookville, OH, waiting for his dad to finish with a flight student. The manager was chatting with him and mentioned that they were in need of one more line service person for the fall. He was only 15, but could still work evenings during the school year, so he signed on. He worked at Brookville through high school and then attended Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University to get his Airframe and Powerplant certificate and later transferred to Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, OH, to finish his bachelor’s degree.

Bowling Green State University required co-op work experiences so he called Tony Saxton at TAS aviation in Defiance and managed to get a summer job. It was a three-month whirlwind experience of twin Cessnas. Needing longer term employment closer to home and school he went to Tiffin Aire in Tiffin, OH, and began working there the second week in September. His first day was Sept. 11, 2001. 

Stevens says, "I learned most of what I know about light aircraft from working in Tiffin. I ended up writing the MEL for our charter fleet, and creating an approved aircraft inspection program for our Piper Cheyennes. I helped add several capabilities to the repair station certificate, implemented the repair station training program, and helped create a major revision to the repair station manual."

In 2011 an opportunity closer to home opened up with Marathon Petroleum Company in Findlay, OH. He started in October 2011 as an aircraft maintenance technician maintaining a fleet of corporate transport aircraft as part of a team of five people. His primary duties are squawk rectification, troubleshooting, aircraft servicing, and inspection program oversight for his assigned aircraft. Ancillary duties include hangar upgrade project management and fuel farm and truck work. 

Stevens has attended advanced training on the Hawker 800XP Initial at FlightSafety International, Challenger 300 Initial and recurrent at Bombardier, Rockwell Collins Pro-line 21 at Rockwell Collins, Honeywell HTF7000 line maintenance at Honeywell/CAE in Phoenix, and Aviation Interpersonal Maintenance Management at Global Jet Services. He also holds an Inspection Authorization, FCC GROL, and his AET through self-study.

He has attended the Bombardier Safety Standdown, Bombardier Challenger 300 advisory committee meetings, and local IA refresher training seminars.

Stevens gives back to the industry by providing aviation education and tours to interested groups including Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, American Heritage Girls, and a company program for at-risk high school students.

His career goal is to become a maintenance director for a corporate flight department or charter operator.