Travis Petet's motivation behind entering the aviation industry can be traced back to his childhood and spending summers with his uncle. "He had a love for aviation that stemmed back to his Navy days on the USS Constellation. He passed that love on to me through knowledge he shared as well as taking me to airshows throughout my childhood. Honestly, after the first airshow I think I was hooked. I have always had a passion for working with my hands and fixing things, so when I learned of the Airframe and Powerplant program offered by Idaho State University during my sophomore year in high school I made up my mind that was what I was going to do. After all these years I still pause every time I hear an aircraft overhead, look up to see what it is, and simply admire the wonder that is aviation."
Petet obtained his A&P through Idaho State University of Applied Technology and also his AAS in aircraft maintenance. He obtained his IA in 2013. He has received advanced training from FlightSafety International and Global Jet Services. He worked at Mesa Airlines and Air Midwest in various levels of management.
Currently his responsibilities include the management of four large cabin business jets (three GIV’s and one Challenger 601) for two separate companies. "Together with a staff of two mechanics we perform unscheduled maintenance as well as some limited in-house inspections," Petet says. "I am ultimately responsible for all aspects of the operation pertaining to our home base facility and the maintenance of our aircraft. This includes the development of budget forecasts, vendor contract negotiation, FSDO relations, maintenance forecasts, aircraft acquisition management, vendor management, and asset management."
He has had multiple mentors over the years. Two of the most influential were Bob Percy and Joe Resnik. Percy was a manufacturer representative assigned to the Mesa Airlines and was based at the hangar where Petet obtained his first management position. "I spent countless hours with Bob learning both the technical aspects of the aircraft as well as the technical aspects of management. He was gracious enough to take the time to help guide me through the trials and tribulations of being both a young and first time manager trying to run a maintenance operation where almost all the staff was older and more experienced than I. Joe held the positions of director of maintenance and director of engineering at Mesa Airlines and was my direct supervisor. He had the faith and confidence in my abilities to allow me to exercise and develop both my technical and management skills."
Petet views his primary purpose is to train the next generation, and passes on his knowledge to his staff as well as to the future generation. He is involved in Cub Scouts where he can pass on the aviation bug. He tries to be as active in the industry through technical advisory groups as his schedule permits. He is also attending Embry-Riddle to obtain his BAS in aircraft maintenance management with a specialization in safety.
Becoming a director of maintenance for a corporate flight department was his career goal. "Ultimately I would like the opportunity to manage a flight department in its entirety instead of just limiting myself to the maintenance side of the house. At the same time I have toyed with the idea of jumping into the MRO world as a director of maintenance or general manager. My focus is on finishing my degree and continuous improvement of myself and our department. My personality is one of those that is always searching for the next challenge, pushing myself beyond my comfort zone."
