As a child Adam Thacker grew up in Phoenix, AZ. He remembers going to a dirt lot next to Phoenix International Airport with his family to watch aircraft take off and land. He knew at a young age that he wanted to be a part of the aviation community. And when he joined the military he went into “Air Wing” to work on aircraft so if he didn't make a career out of the military he could still pursue a career in civilian aviation.Thacker received his initial aircraft training while in the U.S. Marine Corps. Prior to leaving the military he received permission from the FAA to test for his Airframe and Powerplant license and received A&P certification in 2002. Thacker received an associate's degree in aircraft maintenance technology from Ivy Tech Community College in Indianapolis in 2008. He received a bachelor of science in technical management from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University inOctober 2010, graduating Cum Laude.After serving in the military, he worked at Gearhart Aviation and AAR Indianapolis as a maintenance technician. He moved up the ladder to aircraft quality control inspector and is now quality assurance auditor at AAR. He performs scheduled and nonscheduled surveillance, special, and follow-up audits of the repair station to ensure compliance with FAA regulations and AAR procedures; reviews customer procedures for specific guidance or requirements for aircraft inspection/maintenance documentation; performs root cause analysis on surveillance findings/observations; and maintains quality assurance internal audit files of all surveillance, evaluations, and subsequent follow-up actions.Nominated by Shawn McFarland, EHS manager, AAR Aircraft Services - Indianapolis: "In June 2006, Adam joined AAR-ASI as an A&P technician. Eventually his career path led him into the role as a quality assurance auditor, which is his current position. While working full time at AAR, Adam returned to school, and graduated with honors from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University with a bachelor of science degree in technical management in the fall 2010. Adam has many strong attributes that he presents daily, as both auditor and investigator. Adam routinely goes out of his way to educate teammates on AAR-ASI’s requirements and expectations during both audits and investigations. He also helps them understand the federal regulations, as they apply to the issue at hand. Adam’s unselfish commitment to his profession has afforded him the opportunity to assist other start-up sites that AAR has undertaken over the past several years. He has made multiple trips to MRO stations that include Duluth, MN; Lake Charles, LA; and Rockford, IL, to assist with their operations."As both a trained auditor and investigator, he likes to educate personnel on AAR-ASI’s requirements and expectations during both audits and investigations. He also helps customers understand the federal regulations as they apply to the issue. Thacker always exhibits enthusiasm when working with customers during audits. This has helped him build effective relationships with both local customer representatives and their QA departments and the FAA. "This ensures there are open lines of communication between us and our customers enabling us to work together and continue to improve," Thacker says.One of his career goals is to obtain his ASQ Certified Quality Auditor (CQA) certification so he can continue to grow and progress within the aviation community. Another goal is to become an independent consultant once his daughters are grown. "This would allow me to work and travel the world with my wife while still being a part of and contributing to the aviation community," he says. It is also his personal goal to know the people he works with to do everything within his power to help him or her thrive.
