Kenosha, Wis., May 12, 2015 – For the second time in three years, FedEx technicians won the prestigious William F. “Bill” O’Brien Award for Excellence in Aircraft Maintenance, presented by Snap-on, at the annual Aerospace Maintenance Competition, April 14-15, at the MRO Americas Convention in Miami. This year, the FedEx team from Indianapolis bested nearly 40 other teams to take home the award. In 2013, the team from FedEx LAX took top honors.
“Honestly, we were just hoping to place, but when it was announced that we were the overall winners, we were just flabbergasted,” said Mark Holsapple, senior aeronautical technician, FedEx Indianapolis.
The William O’Brien Award for Excellence in Aircraft Maintenance, presented by Snap-on, is the grand prize for the team with the overall winning score from the Aerospace Maintenance Competition. The O’Brien Award will be on display at FedEx’s Indianapolis maintenance facility for the next 12 months. The award returns to the Aerospace Maintenance Competition next year at the MRO Americas Convention in Dallas and will again be up for grabs to the winning overall team.
“When it comes to flying, keeping aircraft safe is the No. 1 goal of the aviation industry, and a large part of that responsibility rests with aircraft technicians,” said Andy Ginger, president, Snap-on Industrial. “This group of professionals often doesn’t receive the recognition they rightly deserve. The Aerospace Maintenance Competition is the perfect venue to shine a spotlight on the critical work they perform every day. On behalf of everyone at Snap-on around the world, I’d like to congratulate the skilled technicians at Team FedEx Indianapolis for their achievements at this year’s Aerospace Maintenance Competition. Their performance is a great representation of what the William F. O’Brien Award for Excellence in Aircraft Maintenance is all about.”
The Aerospace Maintenance Competition is an event which gives teams of licensed AMTs, AMEs, international military personnel and qualified aviation maintenance students the chance to test their aviation maintenance skills against those of their peers. The competition included 20 challenges in areas such as avionics, hydraulics, jet engine troubleshooting, cockpit window sealing and other tasks. Teams had 15 minutes to accurately complete each task; teams that finished their tasks in less than the allotted time received higher scores.
The opportunity to compete was a special honor for Christian Kline, a senior AMT with FedEx Indianapolis.
“FedEx bestowed a lot of trust in allowing us to be a part of the competition; we certainly wanted to do well and represent FedEx in a very professional way. I was very honored and humbled that FedEx gave me the opportunity,” Kline said. Joining Holsapple and Kline on team FedEx Indianapolis were William Sexton, Thomas Miller and Michael Nale.
Snap-on is the official tool sponsor of the Aerospace Maintenance Competition; to support the event, Snap-on provided all the tools and equipment used by the participants during the competition.
Other first place winners from the competition included:
• Commercial Aviation Category: Southwest Airlines
• Space Category: Virgin Galactic
• General Aviation Category: Flight Options
• School Category: Salt Lake Community College Team Yellow
• Military Category: New Zealand Air Force
• MRO/OEM: FedEx Indianapolis
• International Commercial Aviation Category: Air China
In addition to the William F. “Bill” O’Brien Award for Excellence in Aircraft Maintenance, Snap-on donated more than $75,000 in tools and equipment to top finishers in the competition.
Sponsoring the William F. “Bill” O’Brien Award for Excellence in Aircraft Maintenance is part of Snap-on’s continued commitment to the Aerospace Maintenance Competition and aviation technicians around the world.
“We really appreciate what Snap-on does for this competition,” Holsapple said. “Without Snap-on, this event wouldn’t happen.”
For more information about Snap-on, call 877.740.1900, or visit http://www.snapon.com; for information on the Aerospace Maintenance Competition, visit http://www.aerospacemaintenancecompetition.com/general-information/about/
About Snap-on Industrial
Snap-on Industrial is a division of Snap-on Incorporated, a leading global innovator, manufacturer and marketer of tools, diagnostics, equipment, software and service solutions for professional users. Products and services include hand and power tools, tool storage, diagnostics software, information and management systems, shop equipment and other solutions for vehicle dealerships and repair centers, as well as customers in industry, government, agriculture, aviation and natural resources. Products and services are sold through the company’s franchisee, company-direct, distribution and Web-based channels. Founded in 1920, Snap-on is a $2.9 billion, S&P 500 Company headquartered in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
