Bryan Abbott, 36, wanted a hands-on career that was also highly technical and that would benefit mankind; aviation was a perfect fit. "I've had the opportunity to travel the world. I’ve worked on aircraft that provide disaster relief and humanitarian aid, as well as Medivac, fire fighting, and agricultural aircraft. I’m married and I have four kids and my family is the reason I don’t spend every waking hour working on airplanes."
Abbott started his career in aviation as an apprentice mechanic working at a flight school in Tulsa, called Alpha Aviation. Randy Baumann and Paul Willson (both A&Ps) were his mentors for the 30 months of on-the-job training and Paul Willson remains a friend and mentor. He worked at a small flight school then corporate and air ambulance aircraft (King Airs and Lear Jets). Then he joined New Tribes Mission Aviation and transitioned into helicopters. He spent 4+ years maintaining a Bell 206 used for humanitarian and mission work in Southeast Asia. After that he got a job at Covington Aircraft (Okmulgee, OK) maintaining PT6 turboprop engines and assisting in their training dept. He currently works at Tulsa Technology Center in Tulsa, OK, where he teaches aviation maintenance.
He is a member of the Experimental Aircraft Association and the Association of Career and Technical Education. He attended this year's Aviation Technician Education Council annual conference in Atlanta.
Bryan Abbott is an airframe and powerplant mechanic with over 15 years experience on fixed wing aircraft and helicopters with additional experience in classroom lecture and hands-on instruction in the field and in a Part 147 AMTS, says Sheryl Oxley, AMT program coordinator at Tulsa Tech. He has taken his role of educator and mentor a step further by embarking on a full-time teaching career for Tulsa Tech’s Part 147 AMTs in Tulsa, OK. His education includes a bachelor of intercultural ministries, Bible certificate program as well as several field and factory engine and aircraft training courses.
He hopes to give back to the industry by having a part in training the next generation of aircraft technicians. "My goal as an instructor is to prepare my students for their future career in aviation but also to help the students realize how critical their job in the industry will be. They will be maintaining the aircraft that our friends and family will be flying on and they need to understand how important is it that they do their job well."
As for the future he hopes to have his IA by the end of the year and is also working toward finishing his bachelor's degree.
