“When I was 19, I was really unsure what direction I was going in life,” says Nick Downey. “My father was a pilot and taught at a flight school at Scott Air Force Base. I never had a real interest in flying, but I loved the environment and camaraderie of the aviation community. Not to mention, my grandfather, who was a World War II veteran, always loved aviation but couldn’t get into it due to his vision. He preached to me at a young age that aviation was the way of the future and I should make that my career path when I grew up. I looked up to him more than anyone else in my life and wanted to do something to make him proud. I decided college wasn’t for me at that time, so I decided to enlist in the Active Duty Air Force and I chose electro-environmental technician as my job. I never looked back after that.”
Downey spent 12 years in the Air Force as an electro/environmental flightline technician, traveling the world and meeting some of the most gifted mechanics he has ever met. He primarily worked C-130’s his first six years at both Ramstein AB and Kirtland AFB in Albuquerque, NM. During the last six years of his enlistment, he had the honor of working on the B-2A Spirit at Whiteman AFB, MO. He later went on to the Aviation Institute of Maintenance in Kansas City, MO. Upon graduation, he came to work at AAR Duluth, where he started as an avionic technician. Over the past five years, he went from technician, to Avionic lead, to maintenance supervisor to now a project manager where he runs two lines of maintenance.
Downey credits three mentors he's had during different stages of his career with helping mold him into the leader that he is today. Scott Mousseau was his first lead tech when Downey reached his first duty station of Ramstein Air Base in Germany. “Mousseau took the time to show me the ropes and helped me tie all the information and job knowledge learned in tech school together, to help me perform my day-to-day duties on C-130’s,” Downey recalls. After Downey separated from the military and attended A&P school in Kansas City, he says most of the information he was receiving were things he had years of experience doing. “Damon Bradshaw found ways to keep me interested, whether it be developing more advanced troubleshooting techniques or learning different leadership styles needed for today’s business styles in the aircraft industry.” After one year at AAR Duluth, Downer was put in a supervisory role on second shift, covering the weekends. On this shift, there were very few upper management there, and most of the training was on-the-job-training. “Kim Trippler taught me everything I needed to know about being a supervisor, as his 40-plus years in the industry and willingness to take the time to answer my questions and lead by example, helped mold me into the leader I am today.”
In Downey’ position at an MRO, he is constantly getting the younger, inexperienced mechanics, who are either in the process of getting their license or just received it. “I know how important it is to train the future of our industry correctly and prepare them to be the leaders of tomorrow. As a business, in this time where A&P mechanics are getting harder and harder to come by, we have taken extra steps in ensuring that time is spent training these mechanics correctly and help deepen their roots and share the same love for this industry that myself and my co-worker’s have. My goal is to be that someone who is cited in 10-20 years from now by a future 40 under 40 award as one of the reasons they are where they are.”
