When asked what made him join the aviation industry as a structural engineer for Hawaiian Airlines, this is what Kevin Sakumoto will tell you:
“I’ve always enjoyed traveling and developed an appreciation for airplanes and air travel from a young age. I like that the aviation industry makes the world a smaller place and gives people the means to travel anywhere in the world in a relatively short amount of time. That combined with all the engineering that goes into making aircrafts functional and flyable made it an intriguing industry for me.”
As a structural engineer, Sakumoto’s job consists of supporting base maintenance activities by evaluating damages and developing repairs for structural defects found during routine heavy checks on our B717-200 aircraft. Additionally, his group is responsible for supporting line maintenance and AOGs at all hours of the day for our B717-200 and A321neo aircrafts if and when structural defects are found on the line, such as ground damage or bird strikes, to ensure a timely return to service. They are also tasked to review and evaluate maintenance documents such as Airworthiness Directives or Service Bulletins that are issued by the OEMs or the FAA. Sakumoto also works on other ongoing structures-related projects such as assessing corrosion trends and review of structural repair records for lease returns.
Sakumoto received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Southern California. Since beginning his career, he’s lso attended various structural repair related training courses offered by Airbus and Boeing, as well as a few composite related courses through Abaris.
“I think it’s an exciting time to be an engineer in the aviation industry, especially with so many new technologies emerging and being developed. I thoroughly enjoy working in this industry and hope to be in it for a long time. I would like to continue to build on my current experience and further my education in this field. While I do not have specific roles or titles in mind, I do hope that one day I will be able to look back and say that I have made a lasting contribution to the industry in one way or another, and in a similar fashion, I hope to be in a position where I can have a positive impact on other people’s careers and lives.
“Having come in as a new grad several years ago, I know that there can be an overwhelming amount of things to learn when you first start. I try to give back by teaching the new hires in our group what I know, and try my best to make sure their transition into their role is as smooth as possible," said Sakumoto.
Having been on the receiving end of generous mentoring, I would like to pay it forward and continue to do the same and share any knowledge and information that I have, especially as my career progresses and I gain more experience,” said Sakumoto.
