Elaina Johnson’s father was an air traffic controller and would follow him around in the garage asking a million questions like, “how does that work? Why is this built this way? What tool is that for?” When he passed, she decided pursue a career in aviation, and that’s how she ended up as an aircraft maintenance technician.
Johnson, who received her training from Lewis University, where her father taught part time before his passing, and has won several scholarships from the Chicago Area Business Aviation Association (CABAA), says she was fortunate enough to have gotten right into private aviation after finishing her airframe and powerplant licenses. She has worked at three different private hangars, Chicago Jet Group (CJG) being her most current employer. She does just about everything an airframe and powerplant tech does on a day to day basis, but installing avionics STCs is her main focus within the company. Johnson is involved in Women in Aviation and the CABAA as well as National Business Aviation Association and Aircraft Electronics Association with the CJG.
“I want to give back to the industry by encouraging young people, especially young women, to get involved in aviation maintenance,” Johnson explained. “I do this by striving to be the best I can be at what I do and by way of doing so, prove to other women that it is more than possible for us to succeed in this industry." Johnson notes that her ultimate goal is to increase the number of women in aviation maintenance; to show young women the opportunities that are available to them.
“Being a young lady in the aviation maintenance field was not easy,” noted Susan Johnson, project engagement manager at VP Aviation Technical Services who nominated Elaina Johnson. “She did not want to be the face of women in aviation maintenance, all she wanted to do was to fit in and to learn. Somewhere during her first job at Executive Flight Management, she started to find what it meant to be a woman in aircraft maintenance.”
She dedicated some of her time to the CABAA’s maintenance committee and created presentations she would give to high school students, letting them know that aviation was a viable career choice.
During her third year as an A&P mechanic, working for DuPage Aerospace, she took on a job offer at Chicago Jet Group working Avionics. “How amazing to have just been getting respect as a knowledgeable A&P Mechanic to step into the unknown of avionics where she would have to start all over?” explained Susan Johnson. “She excelled again! Elaina is now part of a team that installs controller-pilot data link communications (CPDLC). She has become so proficient that she now travels to other MROs to test their installs of CPDLC.” She will be representing CJG at this year’s AEA conference and considers her team at CJG her family.
