Gavin Hanzawa grew up in the aviation industry. From just eight years old, Hanzawa would come to the airport and watch his father work on airplanes. After graduating from high school, Gavin decided to be come an A&P mechanic like his father and mentor. “Being surrounded by aviation, it ended up being only natural to take it up as a career path, putting everything I've learned over the years into good use,” he explained.
After six years of on the job training, Hanzawa received approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to take his written test to become a mechanic. Passing his general, airframe and powerplant exams, he traveled to the mainland from Hawaii to take his oral and practical mechanics exams.
Hanzawa, who is excited to receive his first industry award from AMT’s 40 Under 40 Awards, has been a mechanic for almost three years and will be taking his Inspector Authorization exam soon. He is one of three lead mechanics George’s Aviation Services’ FBO, working on Robinson Helicopters, Cessna, Diamond, Piper and Beech aircraft and also works as line A&P mechanic for Swiss Port, working on wide-body aircraft for more than a year now. Hanzawa is also a student pilot and has flown solo as he works on his private pilot certificate, which he planned to complete summer 2020.
“Gavin is deserving of the prestigious award as he continues to promote safety through his inspections by following manufacturer and FAA requirements for continue airworthiness and teaching young aviators and junior/apprentice mechanics the importance of proper operation and maintenance of aircraft everyday, inspiring hundreds of students who fly at George's Aviation in Honolulu, HI,” mentioned George Hanzawa, director of maintenance at George’s Aviation and Gavin’s proud father.
“My father was my first mentor from the beginning, and when I started really trying to learn about aviation for a career, I found myself learning from everyone around me, Gavin Hanzawa noted.
For the past couple of years Hanzawa has made the trek from Honolulu up to Oshkosh, WI for AirVenture and said it’s “pretty awesome.” As for the future, it’s sure to be bright. “I'd like to keep working in the industry,” he explained. “Inheriting the flight school operation from my dad would be a goal in the future and to keep learning more about these fascinating machines as I live day by day.”
