The Aircraft Maintenance Technology Top 40 Under 40 showcases top talent and leading thinkers in the aviation industry who are building success today and innovations for the future.
Candidates are vetted on innovation, outstanding attributes and commitment and involvement in the industry.
AJ Silva is committed to both the preservation of aviation history and the continued safety of modern aircraft. He spent much of his childhood at Carson City Airport in Nevada...
Aaron Simmons is the face of the shop at Gibson Aviation Services LLC. As the lead aircraft technician and shop manager, there are few aircraft (or pilots) that Simmons doesn’...
Aashish Grover is the senior technical operations lead at Archer Aviation, which plans to bring electric aircraft taxis to the market in 2025. Initially, Grover worked...
Alexsander Garcia began working in aviation in 2007, following in the footsteps of his father, himself a 43-year veteran of the industry. Garcia worked various jobs during his...
While in the U.S. Marine Corps from 2012-17, Amber Garrett worked on CH-53s, Hueys and Cobras. Her military experience running the structures shop for the Marine Aviation Logistics...
After leaving the military in 2016, Austin Newby was unsure of what to do. His stepfather, Richard Rawling, began taking Newby with him to work on his planes. Here, he fell in...
Benjamin Cohen caught the aviation bug as a kid, thinking originally that he would one day be a pilot. A trip to the local A&P school while in high school changed his mind. “Once...
Bradley Campbell is a welder – certified by the American Welding Society as a Certified Welding Inspector in 2015 – and launched into the career path straight out of high school...
In his role as manager – ProOwnership Maintenance, Textron Aviation, Caleb Gibson leads a team of maintenance specialists, all serving in a director of maintenance-like capacity...
Serviceable part inventory has tripled, and sales have increased by more than 2,000% since 2019, when Chelsea Pearse began managing Duncan Aviation’s Engine Parts Reclamation ...
Chris Hurtado is passing down knowledge. He works two jobs in aviation maintenance, performing line maintenance with UPS, but at FEAM he was brought in to help train the staff...
Ever since she took her first flight on an airplane, Chrishanna Frayser has known she wanted to work in the aviation industry. She thought for the longest time that her only options...
Ciarán Argue, who has EASA and FAA aircraft maintenance licenses, has experience and knowledge in commercial aircraft across the world. His training began in Shannon, Ireland,...
Daniel Douglas always knew aviation was the field for him ever since he was 2 years old, stumbling across a stack of old air show programs his father had. “It was in high school...
While in the U.S. Navy from 2003-2013, Dave Campbell served as an aviation electronics technician in Strike Fighter squadrons VFA-146, VFA-122 and VFA147 and did multiple tours...
As the Falcon Lead Maintenance Tech for West Star Aviation, Derek Kilberg leads a crew that sees a plane from start to finish after it comes in the door. “We do anything from ...
Douglas Speight is one of the senior mechanics at Wiggins Airways. He has 10 years of experience with the company and has been an inspector for the past five. “I like to consider...
A year after Dylan Trochim joined Duncan Aviation’s Textron team in Provo, Utah, as lead technician, the team increased the work it performed by 96% and its ELR (effective labor...
Learning is what Eric Van Oeveren enjoys most about his career. “Some days you're learning to work on different systems. We're a Part 135 charter operator, so every once in a ...
A helicopter mechanic and ambassador for the industry, Faith Ortega got her mechanical start as a kid , helping her father, an auto mechanic, around his shop. Knowing she wanted...
Gregory Ruby is a senior inspector with Kalitta Air, which has long been a part of his life. His father also works for the company. Ruby joined Kalitta Air on his 18th birthday...
Jacob Davis is a lifelong aviation enthusiast. He started small: building and flying model airplanes at age 12 and continued in International Miniature Aerobatic Club (IMAC) competition...
For most of his life, John Shearer was interested in aviation. Growing up near Grand Forks Air Force Base, he caught the aviation bug during one of their air shows. After high...
Aviation is in Jonathan Edmonds’ blood. He’s fourth generation in the industry, starting back with his great grandfather. Edmonds' father, David, worked in maintenance roles around...
Before joining the world of aviation, Jonathon Parnell was working on an ambulance. Looking for a career change in 2016, he applied to Certified Aviation Services. “I'd had some...
Jordan Moore didn’t know what he wanted to do with his career. He was bouncing around from opportunity to opportunity, before deciding to take his hobby, travel, and see if he...
Josh Rawlins is not only personally helping the next generation become AMTs, he’s leading initiatives to create new schools and opportunities.Rawlins is the chief operating officer...
Megan Bringham attended the Aviation Institute of Maintenance in Irving, California, and got her A&P at age 30. She then went to work for Thrust Flight in Addison, Texas, and ...
Michael Green at age 15 helped out in the body shop in Georgia his mom has managed for 32 years. Green assisted the painter, scuffed bumpers and helped out where needed, then ...
Miles Anderson said he fell in love with aviation long before he was old enough to participate in it. “I grew up beside an airport in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and from the roof...
Moritz “Mo” Conrads recently was promoted to senior maintenance manager of Spirit Airlines operations in Orlando, Florida. He’s working on a master’s degree from Embry-Riddle ...
Neena Gill has worked her entire career at StandardAero Limited. Gill learned about StandardAero through family, friends and the excellent reputation the company has within Winnipeg...
Patrick Peterson has been an automotive mechanic, a diesel mechanic and a service tech. He ran his own business rebuilding snowplow hydraulics for five years. But none of it seemed...
Ray M. Mosquera is the first person in his family to graduate from college. In 2020 he earned an Associate of Science – Aerospace/Aviation Maintenance Technology from Salt Lake...
Robert George manages large, complex projects while keeping a close eye on the details within the operation, and all the while, he is developing and strengthening the team around...
Ryan Shepherd became the CEO of Victory Lane Aviation at age 28. “There’s a lot of people that would chalk it up to coincidence or the right place at the right time, which has...
SSgt. Joshua D. Hensley describes himself as a fourth-generation active-duty Army brat who went blue. Hensley’s family never pushed him to join the military. In fact, it was quite...
After graduating from LSU, Steven Rider took an apprenticeship in the industry and found his niche and he would eventually receive his Master of Aeronautical Science from Embry...
Timothy A. Smith is a go-to person for Bombardier’s Challenger program. He’s a project manager, aircraft lead, line service, and operations supervisor. What ...
By learning how to repair propellers, Tucker Johnson, Aircraft Mechanic IV, saved Lynden Air Cargo over $100,000. Johnson started at Lynden Air Cargo as an apprentice while in...
