Johnny Gomez got into aviation because he wanted to know what really makes an aircraft function. As a kid, he would look at the sky and see aircraft flying and say, “Someday I’m going to fix those.” He was always great working with his hands and enjoyed working on cars, but being an auto mechanic wasn’t in his heart, aviation was his true passion. In 1993, when Johnny was 10, his parents moved the family from Ecuador to the United States. Gomez says, “The hardest time for me during this transition was in middle school speaking, reading, and writing the English language.”
As is his nature, Gomez persevered and attended the Institute of Business and Entrepreneurship at North East High School and graduated in 2000. Then he earned an AS degree in aircraft maintenance management from Broward College in 2002. With his new A&P license, he joined Banyan as an apprentice in 2003. Since then, he has completed three FlightSafety courses, earned a FAA Aviation Maintenance Technician Ruby Award for completing additional training, and was promoted to maintenance crew lead in July of 2013. And he was also helped in his career through mentor Terry Schuler, Banyan's crew lead.
He has received advanced training at Challenger 604, Bombardier Arizona, Piaggio West Palm, and King Air Wichita.
Nominated by Nancy Bouvier, Banyan Air Services: "Gomez describes himself as being dedicated. He leaves his house in Loxahatchee, FL, by 6:10 a.m. and drives 55 miles each morning to Banyan. He is the first one in, last one to leave at 6:30 at night. He is described by his coworkers as being the go-to person, someone that is always willing to help others and completes the job right and on time. He has excellent project management skills, is very organized, and always reliable. He thrives on challenges and will keep at it until the customer’s problem is solved. His biggest job satisfaction comes when he knows he has made the customer happy."
When asked what he attributes his success to, he says, “The mentoring I received from other technicians is a value I can’t ever repay. Now it’s my turn to do the same thing for new technicians and I’m proud to do that.” He likes to share information so everyone is on the same page and that there are no surprises. He also takes pride in the fact that if someone on the team is out, the work flow continues because other technicians have been well trained and can take-over.
His career goal is to become a director of an MRO one day.
