If you are a non-aviation company then you are no doubt asking – why is an Aircraft Maintenance Engineer applying for a position at this company, and I would like to explain why.

Although my qualifications are aviation related my job description would be more aptly described as Maintenance Manager in the field of aviation but it is also so much more than just that.

Many people know aviation purely from the perspective that it is a means of transport and that there are pilots and “other people” involved. I would like to use this opportunity to give you a better understanding of aviation and the various facets of this industry.

It is commonly known that aviation is the safest mode of transport and I will not attempt to supply the supportive numbers to verify that claim. However I would like to point to the reasons why aviation is such a safe industry and broadly cover all the different facets of the industry.

I have over the years worked for Aviation and non-aviation companies and therefore understand the overlapping requirements and can definitely see the possibility of myself working very effectively outside of the industry.

Aviation is inherently an industry that is a fore runner in most technologies and has spawned various new innovations for all types of industries and transport sections alike.

I the Self Reflection section following, I hope to give more detail regarding my involvement and experience in each of these sections. A more detailed CV is also available with copies of courses done that can be forwarded if further information is required.

Like for instance:

ISO Standards regarding record keeping – Because of the huge costs involved in aviation, an aircraft’s records can account as much as half the cost

price because of the importance of record keeping. In aviation aircraft are continuously sold between one country and a next and the documentation must comply with a standard that is acceptable worldwide. Although there are various Civil Aviation agencies, they all basically adhere to the same format and standard of documentation. Each maintenance action completed during the life of the aircraft is therefore subjected to various rules that will make the action performed accurately documented and acceptable to the rules and regulations. Therefore all documentation is recorded and preserved in a logbook type document or computer based record keeping program that can be reviewed in the future to determine the serviceability and status of the aircraft. All components of an aircraft is also serialized and have a life limit assigned to it that must be tracked and is linked either to hours flown, times cycled or landings and takeoffs. Any deviation from this procedure can have huge financial costs or even criminal repercussions attached. If you have ever watched an Aircraft Accident Investigation program on television before then you should have a better understanding of this facet. It is a major part of aviation and integral to aviation maintenance.

Traceability of documentation is partly described in the previous point but another facet is no just traceability but also tracking of such documents. These documents must include even the simplest of information regarding the date of the document, what department it is assigned too, the revision status of the document and all the myriad of other traceable requirements involved. In aviation, internal procedural documents must also contain the revision status of other documents referred too.

Workshop layouts and markings are also an important facet with regards to maintenance performance and obviously safety standards.

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Introduction

J. A. Nagel2016

I could continue with this but I think the point is clear and can only underline the fact that the costs involved in aviation, it makes this a major part of aircraft maintenance. I have over the years designed and implemented many documents in this regard and have a solid foundational understanding of it since I started my career on the workshop floor and have worked my way up to various managerial positions. Having firsthand experience of all sectors uniquely qualifies me for any such position because I mostly understand the frustrations and shortcomings of the different areas.

Safety Management Systems: - Every aviation company is required by legislative law to have a SMS system that is uniquely adapted to that

company. This is to deal with the resolution of any shortcomings in the company itself or aircraft operational problems and must supply a means of identifying a first time or recurrent problem, not just within the company rules but also pertaining to individual aircraft. The system must also provide for means of evaluation, implementation and follow-up requirements to elevate the problem with recommendations and implementation of actions required to track and trace such problems.

This could obviously include personnel problems with regards to: alcohol and drug abuse, extreme noise levels, lighting requirements, parts availability, tool availability, safety wear requirements and the proper use thereof and work/shift schedule areas to name but a few. Basically all areas where personnel and or workshop requirements are concerned that can adversely affect aviation or workshop safety.

Training programs and planning is also an essential and integrated part of this system and although much training in the aviation industry is required by dedicated training facilities, and internal program must also exist to training personnel on the various safety aspects like Fire Fighting and First Aid, as well as the company’s internal manuals of procedures and the multitude of relating documentation.

Personally, I was also involved with various aspects of such a system and also designed and produced various training presentations in this regard. I was also the instigator to have an “Online Training” system implemented and managed (ClassMarker is a world renown system that we used and introduced to the company that I worked for – see full CV)

Dangerous Goods:-

The aviation industry is a pivot able leader in the handling and packaging of dangerous goods and the reason is obvious. Due to the extremes that aircraft operate under and combined with the limits on size and safety, this is a very important part of aviation and although it overlaps with all the aspects of the SMS and ISO standards it is of very great importance within the aviation industry. Aircraft carry a lot of combustible substances like fuel onboard and corrosion and explosion hazards are greatly controlled. Because of the speed associated with aviation it is a much used transportation method and often very dangerous substances are transported by air, and thus, great emphasis is placed on this section.

Dangerous goods are also obviously an integral part of any workshop, and therefore would also play an important role in this area.

I have a certificate as Instructor on Dangerous Goods Category 10 which deals with the packaging and placement (loading) of such goods in an aircraft environment.

Human Factors:

Human Factors is another field in aviation where much emphases is focused on because of the obvious safety factor. This is of course also an overlapping part of the SMS and ISO standards. Much effort is placed on this and the wellbeing of staff/workers is of great importance. Understanding the stresses placed on workers and the efficiency of a workshop are so interweaved which will ultimately effect company profits and reputation.

Few companies understand the importance of this and again aviation is a forerunner in this field. It includes management engagement and understanding of the various influences that their workers have to deal with

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on a daily and hourly basis. This involves again various aspects, from training, tooling, parts availability and again a myriad of things that the employees must be trained in and evaluated.

As mentioned before, this can also have a huge effect on company profits and often training is neglected and could have a huge financial implication on the company itself. Like the SMS system it is a “top down” and also a company philosophy that must be instituted and cannot be overlooked.

In aviation, the human factors aspect has over the years lead to system implementation and training, for instance “Cockpit Resource Management” that solved a serious communication problem that developed between Captains and First Officers. This has also spilled over into the communication between Aircrew and Ground Crew where systems were implemented to force communication between these sections. The safety aspect of this is obvious and self-explanatory.

Staff Evaluations:

Again this is very important in aviation, not just to check the performance of one’s staff, but also to highlight the persons that show exceptional work standards, and not just for salary related reasons, but mostly for seniority positions like crew chief etc. and also to highlight the lesser reliable workers that could cause a safety hazard, which of course is a major issue in aviation.

At my previous employers’ client (SonAIr), I developed and instituted such a program to help us with this aspect as well.

Planning:

Planning is another important field in aviation. This would deal with the scheduling of future maintenance actions which are extremely crucial in aviation because of the operation limitations placed on every part of an aircraft that is tracked by serial number. Downtime of an aircraft is one of the major important aspects of aviation because of the cost and therefore must be limited and carefully planned. Parts availability, man power, facility space are just a few of the aspects involved with this area. A precise work/task and workforce schedule is therefore imperative to ensure a quick turnaround. Obviously the staggering of aircraft due for maintenance is just as important and much time is devoted to this part of aviation.

I was also greatly involved at various stages in my career with this area and have much experience in this. We used programs with the capability of providing relative information to assist in the scheduling and a comprehensive knowledge of the program is required. Over the years I have worked on WinAir, AMASIS and SAP and have a competent knowledge of these programs. Much planning was also done on Microsoft Office programs like Word, Excel, Project and PowerPoint. I have a respectable amount of capability on these programs but a more in-depth explanation is available on my CV.

Auditing and Reporting:

Auditing in avian is another major item and much attention is given to this because of the Safety Management System and safety in general. Internal audits are carried out continually and reporting done on the KPI’s (Key Position Indicators). The different Civil Aviation Authorities in each country will also do various audits of the different Maintenance Organization to ensure strict safety standards are adhered to. At my previous employment we had contracts with various Oil Companies for instance BP, Exxon & Agip and they in turn would also do various audits. These audits were done to ensure that we are in compliance with the OGP (Oil & Gas Producers guidelines).

During my employment, the Audits became a much driven section as aviation grew more safety conscious and I was fortunate to grow with this trend from the beginning. During previous employments, the duty of quality controlling was more a function and duty of the Workshop Foreman. This has grown over the last years as a different and important office in larger companies and has dedicated personnel for this duty. Auditors operate apart from any given section and no longer falls under other departments, thereby cancelling any influence from any department heads that might influence or overrule and discrepancies noted. Rather it became a department on its own and reports directly to top management immune to corruption.

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I started off with Sonair when there was no dedicated Quality Control section and ended with a position in Quality Control & Engineering when these departments were formed. Although I did quality control during my years as Workshop Foreman with other companies as part of my job description, I now had the opportunity to do it in a dedicated department. This was basically because of my years of experience and in-depth knowledge of the various areas of aviation and it became a natural progression and the best usage for my experience. Auditing also has the function of reporting, which is, another of my skill set that I enjoyed greatly. Using my Microsoft Office skills, these reports along with graphs and statistics analyses was then often exploited by request from other departments that required assistance in their respective reports. I was also involved with various project viability studies and presentations because of this skill and my experience. Some of these projects were very expensive and the most costly one was $55,000,000.00 (55 Mil USD) and involved several overseas companies as partnerships with Sonair.

In aviation, even ground equipment like Jacks, tow bars and specialized tools are required to be inspected and/or calibrated on set intervals. All this has to be controlled and tracked, which makes aviation an all-encompassing industry and gives us a broad spectrum of tasks and specialties, much more than any other industry, and it all has to be done in a very controlled environment with a very small margin of allowable error. Overflying an aircraft by any amount will cause serious repercussions and therefore absolute control is essential.

During my initial position as Project Chief Engineer, one of my functions was also to evaluate and employ other engineers and much of the 38 compliment of engineers in our section, was then evaluated and employed on my recommendation.

Conclusion.As it is in the interest of each company to make a profit, every area in a company has to be operating at it’s optimum level to gain the perfect balance between operating cost and sales to expand the margin of profit. This can only be done if the correct departments and systems are in place to create this environment and this is where I feel I could be an asset.There are various other things that I could add but I think it should be obvious by now what the aviation industry entails, and how, my skills can be used in other sectors of industry that are not aviation related.

I have included this section into my CV to describe what I feel are important personality traits that I have. I have over the years of my aviation career worked for many different companies and changing employment was always to better myself as an engineer and getting more experience in different sectors of aviation.

For instance: Whilst employed by Techno Commander Maintenance back in 1985, I noticed that with every aircraft in for maintenance, considerable time was spent on doing AD &SB research. Bear in mind that in those days, computers were not available as a tools as they are today, and research was done basically by paging though the various manuals to establish compliance and status. I realized this was an area that took a substantial amount of time and that there should be an easier way.

I took it upon myself to do a list of all the AD’s & SB’s along with a description, applicability to aircraft type and serial numbers, compliance and whatever pertinent information was available or applicable, thereby establishing a list that

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Personal

Reflection

was cumulative and that could be used in the future to easily check the status of applicable AD’s & SB’s. I did this all after hours and when it was completed, it was greatly accepted by my then employers. This and other similar actions on my part eventually led to myself being promoted to workshop foremen. It was noted by the company that I was self-driven and was motivated to instigate and amend procedures that has been in place for decades and never updated or adapted. I enjoyed the challenges that was posed by aviation and was motivated to tackle issues that was mostly ignored by others.

I also had the privilege to have an excellent mentor in my early years of aviation, Mr. Steve Bell, and he taught me the importance of first studying and understanding an Aircraft’s system and the immense beneficial implications it has in the aviation. I have made that principle one of my own, and it has helped me greatly through the years. I do however have to credit the foundation of this to him.

In 1997 I bought my first computer and very much enjoyed the doors that it had opened. My computer skills are self-taught and I have been complemented by many for the skills I have acquired. I have spent many hours and long nights to understand and use programs, as basically, the “understanding systems” foundation very much played a role in this area too.

My Microsoft Office skills as regards to Excel, Word & PowerPoint has been noticed many times and this would also be a reason why Sonair used me so extensively in various departments of the company. I have also worked with VBA and designed User Forms but to a lesser extent. I have created several Training Presentations in PowerPoint for the company and was always complimented on the quality of my work.

Please do not understand me wrong. I am not by any means bragging, but I have been complimented many times on this and I am sure your company would hopefully come to the same conclusion if I was given the opportunity to prove it.

I am a punctual person, and prefer to be at a meeting 15 minutes before rather that 1 minute late. During my employment at Sonair I preferred to work my own hours which was from 5:00 AM to 17:00 PM mainly because of the workload I was under. I also preferred to work on 6 weeks on and 4 weeks off rotation rather than the standard 6 on 6 off rotation. These changes was accepted and also appreciated by the Sonair Managers as they clearly understood my self-drive. During my employment at Sonair I have had many privileges, because I was well respected for my conduct and professionalism and Sonair has demonstrated their appreciation on various occasions.

My Aviation careers has always been hallmarked by my preference to do the extra-ordinary rather than the ordinary. I would always prefer to do the rebuilds, modifications or the implementations of AD’s and SB’s rather than the normal run of the mill type of servicing. Fault finding and snag rectification rather than the normal maintenance. I always prefer to tackle a challenge than to avoid it. I am also known for going the extra mile, and that is a trait that I inherited from my father and was also supplemented by my mentor Steve Bell.

I have given various instruction classes but I am not a qualified instructor (Except for Dangerous Goods Cat 10), although it could be a future interest.

I have always given my best to any company that I was employed at and although my career is not my primary priority I am well aware that my career provides my finances.

I am not a social type of person and would rather prefer to read or watch educational programs instead.

I love my family dearly, and my greatest goal is to be a decent role model for my children. Our adopted son is a breath of fresh air in our lives and has been one of the best things we as a family has done.

Hobbies:

Reading educational material and Prophecy. Woodwork and crafts (Pewter Embossing, building models) General home improvements. Refining my computer skills.

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Doing voluntary repair work and building special projects at the home where our son was adopted from.

Please feel free if any additional information or reference letters are required. I have included a reference letter from Sonair as they are the people I worked closely with.

Endorsements from people that know me can be viewed on my LinkedIn profile.

All relevant Certificates are available if required. Due to the size constraints of various websites they are available as separate files that can easily be e-mailed at your request.

Thanking you in advance. Johnny

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