Colin Estes is good with his hands. He says he’s had a passion for fixing things since childhood, helping his dad work on cars.
“Growing up, I always worked on cars with my dad because I had a passion for fixing things and taking pride in my work. He always encouraged me to go above and beyond working on cars and to go into an industry that would push my education and find a place where I could grow into management to lead a team,” recalls Estes.
From automobiles to aircraft, Estes took his father’s advice and brought his innate skills to the aviation field, receiving his A&P training from Chaffey College in Rancho Cucamonga in California, as well as a BS in professional aeronautics with a minor in management and minor in aviation safety from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University.
After completing his schooling and training, Estes joined the workforce, beginning his aviation career working in a Part 135 Corporate Aircraft Charter company where he maintained 13 aircraft composed of Gulfstream’s, Learjet’s, Pilatus, Westwind, and Falcon corporate jets.
“I started as a mechanic in training, fresh out of A&P school, where I had to learn the basics of what being an aircraft mechanic was all about. I slowly grew and was given the responsibility of leading smaller projects during routine maintenance. As time went on, they continued to challenge me and teach me how to lead a team. When my time ended at that job, I was one of the main lead A&P mechanics with being an inspector for maintenance on all our Gulfstream and Falcon aircrafts,” Estes recounts.
That’s when Estes joined Certified Aviation Services (CAS), continuing the upward trajectory of his career and skill sets.
“I then started my career with CAS in a hangar working a C-Check on Orbitals L1011. After the C-Check was over, they moved me into Line Maintenance on Boeing 767 cargo aircrafts for ABX (Cargo Carrier flying for Amazon). During that time, I had the opportunity to travel with our AOG Aircraft Recovery and Repair Go Team to Minnesota where we replaced the main landing gear support structure, Rib 6, on a Airbus A330. It was a seven week project and entailed removal of the landing gear, flaps, spoilers, panels, electrical, hydraulic lines and any other components required to remove the defective structure. After the repair was complete, we reinstalled all those removed components and made sure everything worked correctly. I returned to California to be a part of another C-Check only this time being on a Boeing 747 and I was promoted to night shift lead A&P mechanic,” describes Estes.
Estes’ current position sees him managing a Cessna Citation X, which he plans and schedules maintenance for and performs all scheduled maintenance on. He’s also the day shift A&P mechanic on a “Top-Secret DOD Test Bed Aircraft,” where he performs maintenance, maintain logbooks, weight and balance changes, and lead a team of mechanics in maintaining the airworthiness of the aircraft.
“In addition, I help support and lead highly technical, yet classified modifications to the aircraft and test bed systems. I am also responsible for briefing the flight crew of all work performed between flights and making sure all aircraft release paperwork is filled out completely,” added Estes.
“Colin has been a key member of the Certified Aviation Service team and integral in the growth of several subsections of the company,” writes James “Jay” Scott, CAS engineering manager, on Estes’ Next Gen nomination. “Recently, Colin has represented the company on at MRO Americas, proving that he not only has the knowledge and capability to lead maintenance functions but also hold the required industry knowledge to handle to manage sales and company growth. His industry knowledge and business acumen will lead him to great things. His keen eye for safety, compliance and airworthiness – all of the qualities Colin possesses lead me to believe he is going to be a shining star within the aviation industry.”
And Estes’ ambitions are set to soar him to those shinning star heights.
“Aviation is an ever changing field where every single day brings new projects and new challenges to overcome,” said Estes. “My career goal is to continue to grow in my education and move up into management, where I can lead a team and push them to produce high quality work while maximizing efficiency.”
