July-August 2022 - 28

Travis L. Reed
Quality Control Inspector, West Star Aviation
Age: 33
Hometown: Portland,
Tennessee
Alma mater: Tennessee
Technology Center at
Nashville
Fun fact: I love to go fishing
and frog gigging in my free
time.
Someone you look up
to in the industry: David
Sindelar, owner/operator
of Sindelar Aviation in
Portland, Tennessee.
Favorite thing about
aviation: The industry
is always changing and
improving.
Travis Reed has a passion for customer service.
He shows commitment to his job and the aviation
community. As a quality control inspector for
West Star Aviation and specifically Embraer jet
service, he focuses on delivering a safe aircraft
without delay.
" I mostly enjoy working with all the technicians,
knowing that we put a safe and airworthy aircraft
back into the fleet and watching it fly away, " Reed
said.
He also enjoys working through problems and
helping come up with solutions. A member of the
West Star safety team, he provides suggestions
to improve the MRO and has been instrumental
in identifying potential issues for the Embraer
Phenom fleet that could pose safety issues in
the future if not addressed.
Reed's first aviation job was at Sindelar Aviation in
Tennessee. Here, he learned from David Sindelar
how to work around aircraft and to always do the
right thing when working. According to Reed,
Sindelar's motto is " The right thing to do is the
right thing to do. "
" I always took this to heart while performing any
job, " Reed said. " This made me always be selfcautious
of my work, which ultimately drove me
to get into the inspection side of the industry. "
At a young age, Reed developed a passion and
knowledge for maintenance working on cars
with his dad (Donnie Reed). While in A&P school,
he placed fifth place in the nation in a SkillsUSA
competition and worked part-time for Embraer in
addition to working part-time for Sindelar Aviation.
When he finished school, he worked for Embraer
full-time for almost 10 years and continued to work
for Sindelar Aviation for over 10 years. Although
he enjoyed working on commercial and general
aviation aircraft, he found that he preferred corporate
aircraft, where he said industrywide, more
attention is given to detail and cleanliness.
Now, having been in aviation for 13 years, he is
known for having a positive attitude and helping
both new and seasoned technicians become better
A&Ps.
Though he's passionate about his work, he also
enjoys spending time with his family - which he
said is most important, hiking, mountain biking,
camping, fishing and working on old vehicles.
www.AviationPros.com/21273909
Rolando Rodriguez
Director of Maintenance, Sun Valley Aviation
Age: 35
Hometown: Brownsville,
Texas
Alma mater: Texas State
Technical College
Hobby: Hunting and fishing
Favorite thing about
aviation: Endless
opportunities and a variety
of challenges
Rolando Rodriguez is the director of maintenance
for Sun Valley Aviation, a fixed-based operator in
Harlingen, Texas. He graduated from the Texas
State Technical College Aviation Maintenance
program in 2007, earning certificates of completion
in Aircraft Airframe Technology and Aircraft
Powerplant Technology.
Rodriguez began his career as an aircraft technician
for Eagle Aviation in Abilene, Texas, then
moved to Gulf Aviation in Harlingen, Texas. There,
Rodriguez's duties increased and he was promoted
to director of maintenance.
Through word of mouth, he heard that Sun Valley
Aviation had opened an FBO in Harlingen. He
applied and became its director of maintenance.
Today, he is director of maintenance for the company's
FAA Part 135 air carrier operation, oversees
the FAA-certified repair station and serves as the
company's director of operations. He oversees
a team of five A&P mechanics and four avionics
technicians as they maintain and modify general
aviation aircraft, including corporate turboprops
and jets.
Sun Valley President Pat Kornegay said, " Rolando
has played a pivotal role in the growth of Sun
Valley's maintenance operations, which now
include on-call maintenance services for several
major airlines serving Valley International Airport. "
Rodriguez, having executed stock options, now
holds an ownership position in the company.
Kornegay concluded, " Rolando is an excellent
example of what an aviation maintenance professional
can achieve by applying learning skills,
adaptability, leadership, and work ethic in this
industry. "
He continues to mentor young mechanics who
have gone through the Aviation Maintenance
program at Texas State Technical College, three
of whom work under his guidance at Sun Valley
Aviation.
He told his alma matter that issued a news release
about the four alumni working at Sun Valley, that
what he enjoys most is the company's family culture:
" Mr. Kornegay, who is the company's president,
and his family live and breathe aviation, " he
said. " That is one thing that brought me here. "
www.AviationPros.com/21274030
28 JULY/AUGUST 2022
AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY
http://www.AviationPros.com/21273909 http://www.AviationPros.com/21274030
July-August 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of July-August 2022
