AviTrader_Monthly_MRO_e-Magazine_2017-06

Industry events
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The competition included 24 challenges in areas such as avionics.
January selected Andy Messom, Simon Tooze, Joel Denton, Ashley
Goodliffe and Luke Thomas to represent the company in Orlando.
“I had heard of the event previously, but never thought much about it
until our company inspired us to apply,” said Thomas, who was chosen
as the team captain. “After we were selected, we tried to prepare
as much as we could; we were definitely excited about participating.”
Thomas and his teammates, who work out of Flybe Aviation Services’
maintenance hub at Exeter International Airport, said they were excited
to get started and let their skills and training take over.
“It was great fun; I didn’t think it would be as fun as it was, actually,”
Tooze said following the competition. “I thought it was going to be a
lot more stressful, but after we completed the first challenge and got
into our routine, we were good.”
“The competition covers such a broad range of skills, and the tasks
cover a lot of different trades, so therefore, some of us are more used
to doing wheel changes, while others more of the hands-on tasks. So,
I was quite interested in having a go at that and see how we fared,”
Messom added.
The team fared well, earning second-place finishes in both the international
and MRO/OEM categories. Messom and Tooze also set the
second fastest time in the fuel tank entry event.
In addition to their second-place trophy, the team also took home a newfound
sense of camaraderie with other teams from around the world.
“It’s good to get some outside perspective; see what else is going on in
the industry,” Thomas said. “We work within our house facility, but you
really don’t know what everyone is doing, or whether you’re all heading
in the same direction until you come to an event like the AMC. It’s
been brilliant getting that feedback from other people.”
“It was really interesting to speak to other people and see what opportunities
are out there within our industry,” Tooze added. “It’s quite nice
to see how our future could potentially go in one direction or another.”
Thomas said he was particularly proud of teammates Denton and
Goodliffe, as they completed nearly all of their certification licenses as
part of Flybe’s engineering apprenticeship programme. Flybe’s Aeronautical
Apprenticeship is a four-year programme leading to a Level
3 Diploma in aviation maintenance, and an EASA Category A License
is delivered at the Flybe Training Academy and Maintenance Repair
Organization.
“Both Denton and Goodliffe are a product of our training school,
and they’re great. Some of our best engineers have come through it,”
Thomas said. “We have so much potential as a company, and we have
an absolutely fantastic group of people we work with.”
Participating in the Aerospace Maintenance Competition Presented by
Snap-on is yet another reason why exciting things are happening at
Flybe.
“Our overall impression of the AMC is absolutely incredible,” Thomas
said. “You never know what to expect when you show up. But it was
great. Everyone was very friendly, very welcoming. It was a nice atmosphere.”
“It’s nice to see so much enthusiasm in our area of the industry where
we work. Being recognized and celebrated is great. Hopefully, we’ll be
back next year,” Denton added.
Steve Staedler is a senior account executive at LePoidevin Marketing, a
Brookfield, Wisconsin-based business-to-business marketing firm that
specialises in the tooling and aerospace industries. Steve has been
covering aeronautical maintenance for nearly 10 years; is a former
newspaper reporter and retired master sergeant from the U.S. Air Force
Reserve, where he worked maintenance and public affairs.
He can be reached at steve@lepoidevinmarketing.com; 262-754-9550;
www.lepoidevinmarketing.com.
AviTrader MRO - June 2017