Growing up, Johnathan Botma disassembled and repaired just about everything he could get his hands on. “It was in my nature,” Botma said. “When anyone asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, I always said I wanted to fly airplanes. That was until I took my first flight to Puerto Rico. During the awe and amazement of that flight, I realized I just had to find out how the aircraft worked. I knew then and there that I wanted to become an aircraft mechanic. That was 20 years ago, and I still feel the same way to this day.”
From his beginnings in high school to where he stands now, three people have helped mold Botma or set the standard for him in his career. First was Todd Olson, Botma’s high school aviation instructor. “He taught me the basics of aviation maintenance and really lit the fire and appreciation I have for this industry,” Botma explained. Second, was Lonny Bauer, the first lead mechanic he reported to. “He really set the standard as to what a great leader looked like by working alongside his mechanics and teaching them with patience and precision. He has done so for decades,” noted Botma. Last but most certainly not least is Botma’s current boss and friend, Kerry Zickuhr. “He has helped me grow even further as a leader and mechanic by being a great example and setting high expectations on how to handle difficult situations. He really pushes me every day to be the best that I can be and helps me reach my goals,” commented Botma.
Botma started off his career in Grand Rapids, MI in general aviation His job was to maintain the hangar and assist with maintenance on King Airs, Baron, Cessna and Mooney aircrafts. After attending college, he joined Pinnacle Airlines as a mechanic. At Pinnacle, he performed overnight aircraft maintenance for Delta Connection. Later at Pinnacle, Botma began traveling to recover AOG aircraft through the Midwest and East Coast. When Pinnacle was bought by Delta Airlines, he took a promotion and helped oversee heavy maintenance at their MRO in Northern Kentucky. When Delta later elected to move its heavy maintenance to Virginia, he decided to stay in Northern Kentucky and return to hangar and line maintenance as a lead mechanic.
A new company to CVG had emerged, and Botma elected to join FEAM. “This would give me the opportunity to work on Boeing 747’s and 767’s,” he said. “We started with overnight maintenance and daily quick turns for Atlas/Polar airlines. Now, nearly five years later, we perform maintenance for several airlines and perform heavy maintenance at our newly-built hangar. I am currently lead mechanic and on-the-job-training instructor for the FEAM hangar CVG.
Botma gives back to the industry by helping new mechanics understand the aircrafts, the manuals and the proper procedures needed to safely and efficiently complete their work. While this is part of his job, he says he feels great pride in seeing new A&Ps succeed as mechanics in the industry that he loves. “I know that it can be intimidating, and I truly enjoy seeing and helping them reach their goals through proper training and mentoring. Hopefully, in the process I can give them that same fire that I have for this industry,” he explained.
As for future goals, Botma wants to learn as much as he possibly can in the industry and to then pass that knowledge on to the next generation of mechanics. While he is perfectly happy in his current position, he says he would eventually like to earn a higher position of responsibility within the company. “Sometime in the future, I would like to make a move to a university and devote myself to instructing,” he noted. “The aviation industry is looking bright and I want to show the next generation just what they can accomplish in this industry when you put your mind to it.”
