It’s no secret that the helicopter industry around the world has a personnel problem: too many people are retiring and there are not enough new recruits coming in. The shrinking pilot population is a frequent topic of conversation.
Less common is discussion of the other major shortage in vertical aviation: aviation maintenance technicians (AMTs) and, more specifically, certificated airframe and powerplant (A&P) mechanics. But that shortfall is just as critical to the continued health of our industry as the pilot shortage. After all, what good is a full roster of pilots if you can’t keep the helicopters they’re supposed to fly in the air?
But we don’t have to — we can’t — just sit and wait for the A&Ps and AMTs to come to us. We need to proactively feed the system that feeds us.
What do I mean? First and foremost, we should help A&P schools make students aware of the helicopter industry as a viable and vibrant alternative to fixed-wing shops.
Here’s the challenge. As we all know, the FAA makes no distinction between fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft when it comes to A&P mechanic certification. And because there are so many more fixed-wing aircraft out there for them to train on, most A&Ps graduate thinking fixed-wing is their only option.
But we can change that, and here’s how.
Provide Rotorcraft and Related Equipment to Schools
Introduce all maintenance students to rotary-wing aircraft early on. Sheet-metal work is sheet-metal work; engines are engines; hydraulics are hydraulics. You get the point. It doesn’t matter if the airfoil spins or is fixed. So let’s give students preparing for a career in aviation maintenance some rotorcraft to work on!
At a recent Helicopter Safety Advisory Conference meeting, I spoke about the A&P shortage with the owner of a maintenance and completion facility. He mentioned that his company has a number of accident airframes that will never fly again. At the same meeting, I also spoke to a representative from an airframe manufacturer who said his company had a number of older aircraft coming in as trade-ins. In each case, we talked about the possibility of lending or donating the airframes and systems to A&P schools as training aids.
Not long afterwards, I met with HAI board member David Bjellos, who relayed a similar conversation he’d had with another manufacturer. “We’re working on getting some surplus OH-58s for an A&P school in Washington, D.C.,” he told me. “Many municipalities have retired equipment that could be used in the training of these future A&Ps. If we just ask around, there are plenty of opportunities.”
Get to Know Your A&P School — and the Students
If you’re going to share, you first have to know who to share with. Do you know the aviation technical school or schools near you? Have you ever contacted them? Do you allow — or better yet, encourage — your maintenance techs to help out at the schools? Do you invite the schools to bring their students to your shop and see a real-world work environment? The Aviation Technician Education Council (ATEC – www.atec-amt.org) is an affiliate member of HAI and an excellent resource for identifying schools that could use your help.
Once you’ve established a relationship with local schools, consider: do you have any components that are beyond life limits or otherwise unflyable? It doesn’t have to be anything as grand as a whole airframe, although if you’ve got one of those, I’ll bet schools would love to get their hands on it. It could be an engine — piston or turbine — or a gearbox, rotor hub, or avionics stack. Really anything would be useful, including tooling and test equipment.
The point is, if we want to bring new A&Ps into the helicopter industry, we’ve got to first make them aware of the option and familiar with the work.
Start an Apprentice Program
We are aware of at least one HAI member with a sizeable maintenance operation who has gone a step farther: they’ve started an apprenticeship program. They’re “growing their own,” so to speak. This means that within 30 months, that apprentice may be eligible to test for an A&P certificate from the FAA. Our member could then hire a skilled technician who is also trained in the ways our member likes things done. I’ll take a more in-depth look at apprenticeship programs in a future issue of ROTOR.
Ease Transition for Military Techs
Of course, there is one source of trained technicians we haven’t mentioned: the military. HAI is working with ATEC, some technical schools, the U.S. Department of Defense, the FAA, and veterans’ groups to ensure that military aviation technicians who want to transition to the civilian industry can get the appropriate, maximum credit for their acquired skills. I’ll also address these ongoing efforts in future issues.
How You Can Help
As you can see, addressing the A&P shortage is a complex issue. That’s why we in HAI’s Flight Operations and Technical Services department, along with our members on the HAI Technical Committee, are taking a multifaceted approach to addressing the challenge. We strongly believe that this issue directly affects the economic viability of our industry. Each of us with a stake in the future of the helicopter industry should think how he or she can work with local A&P schools to promote careers in helicopter maintenance.
Part 147 of the U.S. Federal Aviation Regulations, which governs our A&P schools, was developed to provide a rapidly expanding fixed-wing aircraft community with trained mechanics. But that doesn’t mean we can’t work within the system to turn out AMTs who recognize the opportunities in the helicopter industry. We just have to help them see the rotors.
Harold L. Summers is HAI’s director of flight operations and technical services.
This material first appeared in the Summer 2014 issue of ROTOR magazine. © 2014 Helicopter Association International. Reprinted by permission of the publisher.
