Avionics News October 2019 - 45

Falcon Jets, Gulfstream, Quest Kodiak,
Pilatus and Piper maintenance. We are
a Class 1, 2, 3 and 4 FAA repair station.

Do you have a favorite
airplane to work on?

It's probably the Challenger 604
because I have the most time on it, and
I'm the most knowledgeable. I have
always been the go-to guy for that aircraft and know it well.

What's a typical
day for you?

I get to work around 6:30 a.m. to
ensure I have everything ready to
go for my team. I make a daily walkaround in the morning prior to our
daily status meetings. I get caught up
on emails and what I need to do. Daily,
our leadership team goes over the status of each aircraft that is here, make
any necessary changes with the team
and prepare for future planning of
upcoming work. Typically, any changes
required make their way to the floor
immediately. We do a lot of planning
in these morning meetings to make it
flow the best we know to do.

Do you still do
hands-on work?

I sure do. Any time there are questions or a team member needs tech
support, they'll come to me and I'll
assist them to get the job completed.
From time to time, we have to go
with outside services or may need to
talk to a vendor, so I'll help with that.
The four leads I have are extremely
talented. They put in a large number
of hours and are willing to do anything for the company to get the job
done. They make our avionics shop
one of the finest in the Northwest.
The techs under them are flexible
and can move to the "hot job" in a
moment's notice. Our techs are the
backbone of the avionics shop; we
are a top shop because of them.

What do you like best
about your job?

The thrill of troubleshooting and finding the problem! This is what keeps me
in the game, and I feel as if I am part of
the team. If I could speak for my team, I
would say they feel the same. As always,
the job can get routine, but the hunt for
the problem is the most rewarding.
When we install newer systems, we
are learning new technology and discovering new ways of how it interacts
with the aircraft and aircraft systems.
It seems as if technology in avionics is
always evolving and changing faster
than we realize at times. It's a constant
challenge to keep up with the latest
and greatest.

What's the corporate
culture like at
Western Aircraft?

Oh my goodness, that's a huge reason
I'm here. It's very family oriented. As
most companies have high expectations
of their employees, they are also conscious of family life and the things that
are important to us. They understand the
value of rewarding us with small things
like lunches and times to be together
outside of work, which I see firsthand as
building camaraderie with the team.
Our management team strives and
succeeds at demonstrating an opendoor policy. I have always felt that my
opinions are heard and there is a sense
of true leadership that I have not experienced before. It's one thing that I feel
is critical to an organization succeeding.

What are you doing when
you're not working?

Because of my love of the outdoors,
every outdoor hobby I see is attractive. I would like to get into fishing,
more golf, ATV riding and camping.
My wife, Chelly, and I are high school
sweethearts with two awesome boys.
My son, Nathan, is 18, and he's just
caught the bug of fly fishing; he's con-

tinuing his love of tennis and has been
a hockey player for the majority of his
childhood. He just graduated from high
school and will be attending a local college. Caleb is 9 years old and into soccer, flag football and basketball, and he
is learning to play hockey.
When Nathan was young, I was
fortunate that he had an interest in
the greatest sport on earth - hockey.
I was honored to be his coach each
and every season. I shed a tear or two
when he played his last high school
game, which closed that chapter for
him and my coaching. I've had the
privilege of being active as a volunteer/
camp counselor for an organization
called Hockey Ministries International
for the past 10-plus years.
This organization provides two
things: chaplain services for hockey
teams of all levels from the NHL, AHL
and on down to the youth programs.
The second item is summer camps.
They have over 30 camps in six different countries, most in the United
States. They are a weeklong live-in
hockey camp for boys and girls from
9 to 17 years old. During this hockey
camp, they have ice time, sport-specific
training, pool time and fun events all
day. We minister to the boys and girls
and teach them about the Gospel.

What do you see
for your future?

Having lived most of my life in St.
Louis, I'm proud to call Idaho my home.
It's a whole new life here, and we love
it. We love the weather and appreciate having all four seasons. During the
nice weather, we have enjoyed golf,
mountain biking along the Greenbelt,
hiking and all the sites that Boise offers.
I enjoy my work and appreciate the
opportunity I have here. I look forward
to what the future holds. q
To learn more about Western Aircraft,
visit westair.com.
avionics news

october

2019

http://westair.com

Avionics News October 2019

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