Promoting women’s roles in aviation maintenance

Like many careers in the aviation industry, aircraft maintenance is performed almost entirely by males.

In fact, only 2.8 per cent of aircraft maintenance engineer (AME) licences in Canada are held by women, according to 2016 data from Transport Canada.

While some may view that figure negatively, Elevate Aviation sees it as an opportunity–a very big opportunity–to grow that statistic in the coming years. And one of the steps toward accomplishing that goal was to send its first-ever team of women technicians to the Aerospace Maintenance Competition (AMC) presented by Snap-on.

Elevate Aviation is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to introduce women to careers in aviation. The main strategy behind Elevate Aviation is to team up women with female mentors within the industry to give them a better idea of what a career as a technician, pilot, air traffic controller or flight attendant is like.

“We’re trying to get out there and raise awareness about these careers,” said Kendra Kincade, founder of Elevate Aviation. “For future aircraft mechanics, the idea is to go out and job shadow experienced technicians. She can show you the ropes, show you what it’s like to work there, so you’ll have a better idea of what a career as an AME is like.”

Founded in 2015 in Edmonton, Alta., Elevate Aviation has mentored more than 500 women in several aviation disciplines. Kincade is looking to broaden Elevate Aviation’s reach south of the border and establish female mentors in the United States by the end of the year.

Kincade believes both countries could help each other out, as organizations such as Association for Women in Aviation Maintenance and Women in Aviation International, among others, are actively pursuing strategies to increase the number of female technicians in the United States.

This drive to network with other groups and build its brand presence in the States were the reasons why Elevate Aviation fielded a team at the AMC.

Held during the MRO Americas convention this past April in Orlando, Fla., the AMC provided certified technicians from major airlines and maintenance, repair and overhaul organizations (MROs) and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), as well as military personnel and aviation maintenance students, the chance to test their skills against their peers.

The AMC included 69 teams from around the world. Each completed 29 aviation challenges, such as avionics, safety wiring, fiber optics/flight control rigging, hydraulics and jet engine troubleshooting. Teams had 15 minutes to complete each task, with those finishing the quickest earning higher scores.

The six women comprising Team Elevate Aviation represented a diverse cross-section within the Canadian aviation industry. Jennifer Bennett and Claudia Saucier are technicians with WestJet; Dawn Dearing and Jayne Graham are technicians with the Royal Canadian Air Force; Elina Carlsson is an employee with Harbour Air, and Dina Jammaz, who served as the coach and advisor for the team, is an air traffic controller.

The chance to represent Elevate Aviation and their country, while also demonstrating that women are successful in aviation maintenance, was an opportunity none wanted to pass up.

“It’s always nice to try to promote females in aviation; just to show them if you really want anything, you can go ahead and do it. There’s nothing stopping you,” said Saucier, an AME with WestJet for the past 18 months. “Even if you’re a girl, you can still do the task just like anybody else, if not better.”

While many teams allocate weeks of practice to prepare for the AMC, most of Team Elevate Aviation met each other for the first time when they arrived in Orlando. Nonetheless, the team’s strategy was to review each other’s strengths and expertise, and best match those skills to the 29 challenges.

“For just meeting a few days prior, we came together and worked cohesively. The entire experience was phenomenal,” said Dearing, an aviation technician with more than 20 years of service with the Royal Canadian Air Force.

In an industry looking to attract more women, it was encouraging that two other all-female teams joined Elevate Aviation to compete in the AMC: United Airlines-San Francisco and Pratt & Whitney.

“We met the female team from United, and it was pretty interesting just talking to them and hearing what they do to work together,” Saucier said. “It’s nice to get different views of their job to compare to what I do every day. All of us really appreciate what other AMEs are doing out there.”

“We were privileged to have three all-female teams compete in Orlando. These women clearly conveyed the message that not only men can repair aircraft; women are just as capable,” added Ken MacTiernan, chairman of the Aerospace Maintenance Competition.

“With a growing number of females competing in the AMC, we demonstrate to the younger generation of women that they can succeed in this profession.”

Collectively, the team believes more women would consider a career in aviation if the industry did a better job promoting itself to females.

“I think women need to be better informed about the many opportunities available to them,” Saucier said. “Girls are just unaware of the aviation jobs that are out there.”

Helping to spread the world of aviation to Canadian women is a role Elevate Aviation is happy to fulfil. Jammaz said participating in the AMC is a perfect opportunity for her team to promote maintenance after they return home.

“Just connecting these five women together has been wonderful,” she said. “But now that we’re home, we can share our stories on social media and other avenues, and people can look and say, ‘Wow, these women are amazing. I want to do that, too.'”

Elevate Aviation is planning to bring another team to the AMC next April in Atlanta.

For more information on the Aerospace Maintenance Competition Presented by Snap-on or Elevate Aviation, visit aerospacecompetition.com and elevateaviation.ca.

Steve Staedler is a senior account executive at LePoidevin Marketing, a Brookfield, Wisconsin-based business-to-business marketing firm that specializes in the tooling and aerospace industries.

Staedler has been covering aeronautical maintenance for more than 10 years; is a former newspaper reporter and retired master sergeant from the U.S. Air Force Reserve, where he worked maintenance and public affairs. He can be reached at steve@lepoidevinmarketing.com; 262-754-9550; lepoidevinmarketing.com.