Matthew Franklin has always been interested in aviation. And he was exposed to aviation at a young age, attending several air shows, including Oshkosh. My parents built on this interest in aviation by affording me the opportunity to take flying lessons while in high school. I found that I couldn’t get enough of airplanes and fancied myself becoming a military aviator.
His first job was as an enlisted soldier in the U.S. Army. "Becoming a “RL1” UH-60 Blackhawk crew chief was pretty important to me at 19 years of age. After the Army I was performing contract maintenance with L3 and Lockheed Martin. Both of these jobs entailed heavy maintenance and it is where I gained a large amount of experience above and beyond what the Army offered. I moved on to working with Air Methods at a university helicopter EMS program where I ended up becoming a lead mechanic with some management duties." Along the way he continued his education and was invited to teach at Lewis University where he is currently instructing classes as an assistant professor.
Franklin has earned a bachelor's degree in aviation maintenance management from Lewis University and a master of business administration from Cardinal Stritch University in Madison, WI. He received specialized training from Turbomeca, Pratt & Whitney engine courses, as well as Airbus Helicopter EC-135 airframe course in Dallas, TX.
"Being an AMT instructor gives me a tremendous opportunity to give back to the industry," he says. "I am keenly aware that it is intrinsic within my role that I promote our profession. I tirelessly communicate what this career path has afforded me and what the possibilities are for each of the AMT candidates that I come into contact with on a daily basis. I have also gone back to my high school and have met, on numerous occasions, with students and exposed them to the merits of a career in maintenance within the aviation industry."
Nominated by Professor Robert Eric Jones: His commitment to the university ethos of knowledge, fidelity, wisdom, and association is impeccable. He also maintains several EMT helicopters for Air Methods. He shares his experiences with students which really resonates and provides them with service learning opportunities. He's not satisfied with just teaching someone to be a mechanic. He consistently expects the best of his students, and they love him for it."
