Growing up in rural Michigan next to a small general aviation airfield, Jamie Hill was able to explore recreational flying at a young age. As he became older his curiosity leaned toward the maintenance and engineering side of the business. "Once I discovered the friendly yet challenging and ever-changing nature of the commercial aviation industry, I was hooked," Hill says.
Hill started his career in 2004 as a c-check mechanic working at then Atlantic Southeast Airlines on the fleet of Bombardier CRJ and ATR-42 aircraft. From there he jumped into a journeyman role as an on-site heavy MTC representative working closely with third-party vendors. Next he landed a role as a field MTC manager overseeing multiple line MTC locations. Shortly after the merger of Atlantic Southeast Airlines and ExpressJet Airlines, h moved into the role of general manager maintenance planning and operational performance and then director of planning and materials for the combined airline. In 2017 he was promoted to his current position as vice president maintenance and engineering. He is responsible for the safe and efficient operation of the maintenance organization as well as the airworthiness of all required maintenance, repairs and alterations of aircraft and equipment.
Hill has had several mentors throughout my career. Each one is treasured. "It’s my team of c-check mechanics who helped me during my first years in the business whom I value the most. As a young mechanic I was very fortunate to have a senior team surrounding me. Their patience, support, and willingness to share knowledge of the industry helped me become a well-rounded mechanic. I’m still lucky enough to be working beside a few of them today."
He received his bachelor degree and A&P license from Western Michigan University. Advanced training includes CRJ 200/700/900 and EMB 145 familiarization courses, GE CRJ34 advanced diagnostics training, and various leadership and data analytic courses.
"I believe each of us has an opportunity every day to provide a better product or service," Hill says. "My current role affords me the opportunity to encourage a broad range of aviation professionals to connect with each other and our customers for the purpose of improving our industry. With that in mind I really enjoy helping colleagues solve operational related problems that benefit our customers and our business partners."
Nominated by Michael McDaniel, former general manager of maintenance training at ExpressJet Airlines: "No matter what position he has held Jamie has been committed to the safe and efficient operation of the airline. Focusing on safety and operational performance, and ensuring our operation is data-optimized and the front lines employees have the right resources in place to get the job done well for our customers. Under his leadership the ExpressJet Maintenance division has consistently performed at the top of the regional airlines in performance metrics while continuing to improve the working environment of the team."
Hill has a handful of long- and short-term goals but one long-term goal involves the shortage of aviation mechanics looming within the next decade. "Although there are plenty of millennials in the world, so far they are not showing the interest in our industry as much as past generations. I’d like to dedicate some time to this issue and encourage younger generations to give the aviation maintenance industry some thought. There is a heck of a lot of opportunity out there and this industry can be a lot of fun!"
