When Robert Scott Allen was 12 years old, a family friend took him flying in a Cessna 172. He enjoyed it so much that Allen started taking flying lessons. He and his father quickly realized that it would be cheaper for them to own a plane than it would be to rent. So, they went out and bought a Cessna 172 that had been flipped over in a wind storm in Ohio and found a mechanic to supervise the repairs. “After the repairs were complete, my father and I started serving as apprentices under J.B. Marshall repairing small aircraft,” Allen says. “After three years working under J.B., we took our oral and practical exams the same day.”
After he obtained his A&P, Allen started a small business in Greeneville, TN, repairing general aviation aircraft. “I worked there on the weekends and went college during the week,” he notes. “After two years, I left the business to my father and moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, to work as a lead mechanic repairing ATA part 25 components.” Two years later, Allen moved to Knoxville, TN where he was hired by Pinnacle Airlines, now Endeavor Air. “After three years working as a mechanic, I was promoted to lead AMT where I now direct a team of four to five mechanics in anything from routine checks to engine and landing gear changes.”
Allen credits his father as a lifelong mentor. When he was young, they were always working on cars or some piece of machinery on the farm. If he needed to fabricate something, his dad would always be there to guide him on how to approach the problem. “His guidance and exposure to complex mechanical problems allowed me to be a successful AMT,” Allen explains.
This next gen AMT is currently serving his second term on Endeavor Air’s Tech Ops Committee. The committee’s goal is to bridge the gap between the front-line mechanics and senior management. It has also been responsible for many policy and procedure changes to improve the lives of Endeavor Air employees.
“I always enjoy helping introduce people – especially kids – to aviation,” he says. “It thrills me to show someone around an airplane for the first time or take them for their first flight. I guess it is because I can still remember the amazement I felt at 12-years-old when I took my first close look at an airplane.”
Allen also enjoys teaching AMTs. He says he wants to ensure that mechanics learn how to do their tasks right the first time and know how to access resources to make their job safer and easier. “To me, the most satisfying part of training is when an inexperienced mechanic that walked through the door a year ago starts to challenge you on how to approach problems.”
